End of an ERA...

This BLOG is now a dead BLOG.  I will no longer be updating this blog.  I have moved to a new location.  You can find my new blog at:

 http://www.dadzoolife.com/

I have moved most of my post to this new location.  Please update your bookmarks, and any links that you have to this old blog so you can stay up to date.

Thanks,
Mike Kieffer

Church Ladies With typewriters . . .

A friend of mine sent this to me...  I had to post it.


They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:



The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

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Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..

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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered..

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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM . All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.

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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.

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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM .... The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours..

Technology - When does it cross the line?

First, I want to apologize for the length of this post. This is something I have been thinking about for a while, and found my thoughts wordy.

In the Star Trek universe, there is a race of beings called the Borg. The Borg goes around the universe assimilating cultures into their collective. During the process, the people of the culture become part machine and part organic. The Borg’s goal is to create a universe full of super beings. After the process of merging the technology with the organic, it then becomes impossible to separate the two. If you remove the technology, then the organic dies because it can no longer support itself without the technology.

I am reminded of the Borg every time I see someone connected to a device via a blue tooth headset. It is now not uncommon to see people walking around the store talking to themselves. At one time, it was considered rude to be on the phone in public, but now that simple politeness has been eliminated. You can no longer hide from the phone.

I have been part of technology since I could first get my hands on it. I worked on computers that people today would laugh at. I was there when the 8088 processor started hitting the market. My first computer was an 8086, now we are light years ahead of that technology. I remember 5.25 floppy disks, and when hard drives were considered big if they could hold 10 Megabytes. Now we have mobile phones that make this technology look like a 2 year olds drawing.

We have integrated technology so well into our society, that it now cannot be separated. Everyone expects to be able to hook up to the internet and access any type of information that they want to access. They have to have constant access to text messaging and to email. We are not to the point we have been assimilated like the Borg, but a lot of people would be lost if the technology were removed.

I think that technology has its place, and it has made life easier for some of us. In the IT field, I can tell you that technology has made things harder for some as well. Now that email is considered a business critical application, my work has been getting more and more complicated over the years. If email goes down, the company has a very hard time being productive. I am now even at the point that I would prefer to talk to co-workers via email than on the phone.

Technology has helped society a lot, but I think that it has also hurt society in several ways. The purpose of this post is to discuss a couple of those ways. Technology has become a substitute for some of the things we need as humans. As technology gets smaller, cheaper and easier to use, it has started replacing humanity with a Borg sense of assimilation.

One of the biggest places where technology has impacted society is in the building of families. The trend I have noticed in the last few years is a moving from family members for support and entertainment to technology for that support and entertainment. Here are a few examples that I have noticed in the last little while.

NOTE: Please do not take offense to what I say in the next part of this post. I may not agree with some of you, but that does not mean that I don’t like you and think you are good people. Some people just do things differently then I think they should be done. Just like some of you think that having 6 kids is crazy, even more so when Momzoo and I talk about having more.

First, Punk #2 was involved in her 5th grade science fair. Her project (“The wrath of grapes” – A study of which fabric cleaner gets grape stains out the best) was selected to go to the district meet. I went to the High School with her the night they presented their projects. While we were waiting for the judging to finish, and the medals to be given out, I spent some time people watching. (People watching can be one of my favorite things to do.) There was a family in front of us. It was a family of 5 – Mom, Dad, and three kids. Out of the 5 family members, 4 of them were on mobile devices. They were either playing games, or texting friends. The Mom was the only one not connected, and was watching her husband play Angry Birds with a very bored look on her face. In the first two rows of the auditorium, we counted 18 people using mobile devices out of 50 people. Was this Family event bringing the family closer? In the case of this family, I would say it was not. Sure they were there to support a fellow family member, but instead of talking about their day, their interests, their dreams, and their aspirations, they were all too busy using technology. It was a moment lost where a family unit could be strengthened. Momzoo and I are going to be putting some rules in place that make cell phones and mobile devices banned from such activities. It is not good enough for the family to just be together, but they need to interact with each other as well.

Second, as DVD players and TVs get smaller and cheaper, they are now popping up everywhere. The other day I saw a Van, pulling into the local grocery store, with 4 video screens playing a movie. I was amused with this. Has society gotten to the point that we now need to entertain our family with technology during a drive to the grocery store? I hear people say that they use it to keep the kids occupied so they don’t fight, etc. Sounds to me like technology is being used to replace parenting. Why do people think it is so bad to say, “You kids settle down, or I am going to turn this Van around”? Momzoo and I have decided that we will not be putting a DVD player in our Van, or our cars. The temptation has been there, but we feel it is more important for the family to interact with each other instead of letting technology help pass the time. It is amazing what you can learn by engaging your kids in conversation during this time, or just listening to them while you are driving. Time in the car use to be used as a bonding experience, people use to take road trips to get closer. Now society takes road trips because they are required for the destination. Soon no one will know how to play the ABC game, I spy, or the Doubles Game while driving. They may be annoying, but they are things the kids will remember, and keeps them watching the scenery and paying attention to what is going on around them, instead of what movie is currently showing.

Third, technology can be a BIG waste of time. Instead of spending time reading good books, interacting with family members, it is not unusual to see people spending every “FREE” minute they have using technology. Don’t get me wrong, I love computer games. I have been known to spend hours in a dark room with a computer game. I am working on this, and have made some pretty good improvements on this front. But I think that technology has taken a real toll on our young kids. The other day, (I have seen this twice now from different kids) a kid was writing a letter. They were writing “we” in their letter. But they spelled the word “wii” instead. It may sound funny and cute, but think about it. We now have a piece of technology that has replaced the word we. Instead of we being a group of people to interact with, we is now a gaming console. I have also recently seen one of my kids be made fun of because we don’t own a “wii”. Gaming systems have now become a status symbol. Yeah, I know you can get wii fit is supposed to be good for you. But do you really think it is a valid replacement for riding a bike, roller blading, or taking a hike in the mountains?

We have also heard about the impact of texting on our youth. We have been warned and warned about it. Sexting is an increasing issue. People think that they can say whatever they want when texting. Search the news, and you will constantly see articles about kids getting in trouble because they are sexting each other. It has even gotten to the point that the x-generation is unable to interview correctly. They don’t have the skills needed to sell themselves face to face. Their social filter is never developed, and they are having a hard time reading face to face non-verbal communication.

Children need to be introduced to technology, they have to know how to use it to compete in the world, but as parents we need to find a way to stop the technology from harming instead of helping our kids. Do kids really need a cell phone? Do kids really need to have the ability to text their friends 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Do we really need to just give them technology to entertain them so they are quiet?

There are only 24 hours in a day. As technology takes up more and more hours per day, it pushes other things out. We need to make sure that technology does not push the import things out of our lives. Technology should not replace family and religion.

Ask, and it shall be given you....

SPOILER NOTICE:  If you have not read the book Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, and you plan on reading it, you probably do not want to read this post.  I am quoting from that book, and the quote may give some of the story away. 

One of the themes that goes through the book is reference to the scripture, "Ask, and it shall be given you..."  Towards the end of the book, the main character says something that gave me a lot of insight into that scripture.  (I think it is funny how sometimes you get insight in political and religious views from a non political or religious book.  That is one of the powerful tools an author can use.)  The character Will Tweedy says the following:

"Grandpa didn't think Jesus meant, by that, that we should ast God for things, or for special favors.  He said we could trust that in the nature of things, without astin', we'll get lots of blessin;s and happy surprises and maybe a miracle or two.  When Jesus said ast and you'll get it, He meant things of the spirit, not the flesh.  Right now, for instance, I could ast, 'Lord, please raise Grandpa from the dead,' but it wouldn't happen.  But I can say, 'Please, God, comfort me.' and I'll get heart's ease.  Grandpa said Jesus meant us to ast for hope, forgiveness, and all like that.  Ast, 'Hep us not be scared, hep us not be greedy, give us courage to try.'"

Will continues, "Ast any such and God will give it to you.  But don't ast Him not to let fire burn, or say spare me from death.  At least, uh, that's what Grandpa said."

There are also scriptures that tell us that with faith we can move mountains, and that with faith anything is possible.   But there is always the disclaimer of, if it is God's will.   I personally don't know anyone that could move a mountain with faith.  I know that I could not do it.  This book made me think.  How often do we pray for more money, a bigger house, and for other monetary blessings?   We may even pray for the Lord to guide us to friends, family, etc that need our help.  But how often do we pray that the Lord would calm our hearts, bring peace to our minds, have His Spirit talk to the Spirit of child who needs comfort?   This is one thing I am going to do more in the next year.  I am going to pray more for the Lord to calm my spirit, give me peace when things may be hard, and to remove anger from my soul.

I think that Will is right.  That the Lord wanted us to ask for things of the Spirit as well as things of the world.  But I think that if we ask for things of the Spirit, they will be more in line with the Will of the Lord and we will be more likely to see our prayers answered.   If we ask to have anger, greed, resentment, bad thoughts and feelings removed, and replaced with calm, peace, and contentment, we will see the Lord work miracles in our lives.

New Sweeping Legislation - The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA)

WASHINGTON, DC (AP) - Congress approved sweeping legislation, which provides new benefits for many Americans. The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA), signed into law by President Barack Obama shortly after its passage, is being hailed as a major victory by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition.

"Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society," said Obama, a longtime AWNA supporter.

"This is why many of them voted for me. We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they do a better job, or have some idea of what they are doing," said Obama.

President Obama pointed to the success of the US Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 80 percent of postal employees lack job skills, making this agency the single largest US employer of Persons of Inability.

Private sector industries with good records of nondiscrimination against the Inept include retail sales (72%), the airline industry (68%),and home improvement "warehouse" stores (65%).

President Obama has also set an example, personally selecting hundreds of Nonabled people for top government positions, including many cabinet-level jobs.

Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million "middle man" positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance.

Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given, to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations which maintain a significant level of Persons of Inability in top positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Nonabled, banning discriminatory interview questions such as "Do you have any goals for the future?" or "Do you have any skills or experience which relate to this job?" and "Are you awake?"

"As a Nonabled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, MI due to her lack of notable job skills.

"This new law should really help people like me."

With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Said Obama, "It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her adequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation."

And my father dwelt in a tent

6. Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.  1 Nephi 1:6

I have always wondered why Nehi told everyone that his father dwelt in a tent.   I also think that everything in the scriptures, no matter how minor it may seem, was put there for a reason.   It was not easy for Nephi to write on the plates.  It would take time and resources to do so.  So why would he waste the time to tell us that his father dwelt in a tent?    The reason I came up with was the fact that he wanted us to know what type of sacrifice that his family had to give up in order to follow what the Lord told them to do.  In chapter 3 he continues to say: "... for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord." (1 Nephi 3:16)

Nephi and his family gave up a lot of stuff because the Lord commanded them to do so.  We are familiar with the story of them going back to get the brass plates.  The riches the left behind were so great that they made Labon want them, and to take them by what ever means he could.  They left behind a lot and then dwelt in a tent because the Lord told them to.

I recently had a hard time giving up some of my riches.  At Christmas, I was given some money and a gift card that I could use to buy what I wanted.  So I went to Target and purchased a computer game.  When I was at checkout, the clerk asked me for my ID.  I thought that was funny and went home.  While I was going home I wondered why she asked for my ID.  When I got home I noticed that the game I just purchased had a rating of M on it, or 17+.  I had a battle in my head over that rating.  We have been trying hard to keep that type of stuff out of our home, but I REALLY wanted to play this game.  So the game went back to the store, and I purchased something that the entire family could have fun using.

I have not been asked to live in a tent, and I have not had to give up a lot of my riches.  10% is really not that much if you think about all that the Lord has given you.   But it made me think.  I had a hard time giving up a M rated game.  Would I have a hard time giving up something of more value, or would I be able to follow the Lord's commandment if it included living in a tent?

During the last few weeks, I have been listening to the 2010 October General Conference on the way to work.  And something hit me pretty hard in a couple of the talks.   In the first session, Elder Claudio R. M. Costa gave a talk by the title of, "Obedience to the Prophets."  In this talk he references a talk by President Ezra Taft Benson (when he was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).  The talk he referenced was given at a BYU devotional in the Marriott Center in 1980.   The talk called, "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet" included 14 things that we should know about the prophet, and the importance of having a living prophet on the Earth today.  (I am not going to list the 14 fundamentals here, because I want to you to back and read them yourself).

Then, later that day there was a talk by Elder Kevin R. Duncan called "Our Very Survival".   Elder Duncan then gives the same reference that Elder Costa did, and then lists the 14 fundamentals again.  I then started to think, why do you think that two of the brethren would quote the exact same fireside by President Benson?  I think that it is because we needed to hear it twice for it to sink in.

It makes me wonder what commandment the Lord is going to give through his prophet that we may find hard to listen to.   Why is it so important for us to know what type of revelation the Lord and give us through is prophets?  Will we be willing to live in a tent, and to forsake what the Lord asks us to give up.  If the prophet gave us a laundry list of things to remove form our lives, would we get rid of those riches and live in a tent if commanded to?   Are we going to be to prideful to give up our M rated computer games...  If we can't do that, then how are we suppose to give up the hard things if asked?  Like Pride, Jealousy, and the other sins that many of us want to keep as riches.

Elder Scott gave a talk entitled "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character", on the same day of Conference.   In his talk he talks about how important it is for us to have Faith and Character to be able to do what the Lord asks us to do.  "The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to recognize the direction of the Spirit and to be obedient to it. Your consistent exercise of faith builds strong character. A secure foundation for your growing character is laid by making Jesus Christ and His teachings the center of your life."    We need to be able to have Character so when the Lord asks us through his prophets to do something that may be hard, we will have the strength to be obedient to it.  Elder Scott continues:

Material things do not of themselves produce happiness and satisfaction and the joy of attainment on earth. Nor do they lead us to exaltation. It is nobility of character, that fabric of inner strength and conviction woven from countless righteous decisions, that gives life its direction. A consistent, righteous life produces an inner power and strength that can be permanently resistant to the eroding influence of sin and transgression. Your faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments will strengthen your character. Your character is a measure of what you are becoming. It is the evidence of how well you are using your time on earth in this period of mortal probation.

He also tells us that "character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used."  We need to develop character and be obedient by using our faith so that we can do what the Lord asks us to do.  Even if he asks us to give up our riches and go live in a tent.

Elder Scott continues, "Neither Satan nor any other power can destroy or undermine your growing character. Only you could do that through disobedience. A sterling character is converted into worthless ashes when eroded by deceit or transgression."

Lets make sure that we keep our Character and Faith strong, so that when the Prophets tell us to do something we can be obedient to those commandments.  So that our character is not eroded by deceit or transgression.

Why the Gun is Civilization

This essay has been floating around the internet.  It has been attributed to several authors, but the real author is Marko Kloos and was written on March 23, 2007 [Source].   He has granted permission to those who wish to use it for non-profit reasons.  I have not heard a better pro-gun essay, and wanted to post it here as well.  (If someone sends you this via email, and it is not attributed to Marko Kloos, please let them know who the really essay writer is.)
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Why the gun is civilization.

By Marko Kloos

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we’d be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger’s potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat–it has no validity when most of a mugger’s potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don’t constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that’s as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn’t work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn’t both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation…and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

Random Religious Questions....

I have a couple of questions that I have been pondering that I would like to share, and then give what I think may be the answer to these questions.  I am by no means saying that what I think is the truth.  But we have been told to liken the scriptures to ourselves and these are the things that the scriptures have told me.

The first question came to me while reading 2 Nephi 4:18-21.  In those versus Nephi talks about how he is "encompassed about" by temptation.  He then says, "And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins..."  Everyone talks about how great a man Nephi was, and how we all should be like him.  Why does Nephi talk about how his sins make his "heart groaneth"?   Had Nephi not repented of his sins?  What sins could Nephi of committed that make his "heart groaneth" when he thinks of them?

I think the answer is because Nephi really understood the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  He may of repented of his sins, but he still knew that those sins caused Jesus Christ to "bleed at every pore."  D&C 19:17-18 reads:

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink

I would guess that the sins that Nephi committed were small in nature, but he understood that those sins caused some of the pain that Jesus Christ had to suffer so that we could return to live with our Heavenly Father.   Someone had to suffer for our sins.  Christ suffered for them, so that we could have repentance.  He suffered for every sin, no matter how small, or how insignificant it may of seemed.  Even the smallest sin caused Jesus Christ pain and suffering.  And I think that Nephi knew this, and that is why even small sins made his "heart groaneth".

The second scripture I found was in Alma 32.   In Alma 32, Alma is teaching the "word of God unto the people".    While teaching he notices a group of people that have been kicked out of the synagogues because of the "coarseness of their apparel."   Alma then ignores the people in the synagogue and then turns his full attention to the poor behind him listening.  In Alma 32:13 he talks about how the people were blessed because they were compelled to be humble.  But then in the following versus, he talks about how those who are not compelled to be humble  are "much more blessed" than those who were compelled to be humbled.  This make me start to think, why would God bless one group more than he would bless the other?  I think the answer is this.  God is not blessing one group more than the other.  But the one group is blessed more because they did not sin.  Those who "without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe" are more blessed.  Not because God thinks they are better, or wants to punish them, but because they were unable to receive as many blessings from God.

Those who sin, and then are compelled to repent are indeed blessed less than those who have not sinned and accepted the truth without being compelled.  They did not have to go down the road of repentance, and tasted of its sorrow.  They have been able to receive blessings from God while the sinner missed out on those same blessings.  This is how the sinner that eventually becomes humble is less blessed than the one who believes from the beginning.

D&C 130:21 reminds us of this principle: "And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."  The more laws that we obey, the greater our blessings will be.  It is not that God gives more blessings to one individual over another, but that the individual does not obtain blessings because of lack of obedience.  Therefore, the ones that are not compelled to be humble and follow the gospel do indeed receive less blessings then those that follow the gospel from the beginning.

Having said that, I think that everyone has room to repent.  The LDS church as a wonderful program on Addiction Recovery.  The recovery program has 12 steps.  (It is based off of the AA addiction recovery program).   When people hear about additions, they usually think of Word of Wisdom issues.  But after seeing this program work in others lives, I think it is beneficial to anyone who has any type of addition.  I think that everyone has some type of addiction they are struggling with.  It may not be a Word of Wisdom issue (smoking, alcohol, drugs) or a moral issue (pornography, inappropriate sexual behavior) but could be something like pride, R rated movies, computer games/online activities, etc.  

Everyone would benefit from this program.

I have been on a Joshua Creek kick lately, a mix of country and gospel.  I really like this song, and find it to be appropriate for this post. The song is called "I Love You, Son".

Holy Ghost or Must My Crazy Mind.

I have had several things happen this past week that have made me as the question.  "Was that a prompting from the Holy Ghost, or was that just my crazy mind giving me a suggestion."   And then the second question that I have had, is "How can I tell the difference?"

Let me tell you the two stories that prompted the question.

On Monday I was given the task of installing a new computer program.  I had the maintenance window scheduled, and had started to do the install.   Things did not go as planned.  During the install the program would not install correctly, and kept giving me the same error.  At that point I thought to myself that I should re-run a script that was ran before to see if that would fix the error.   I did not re-run the script, and because of that I worked on it until Thursday.   I gave up, and called Microsoft for help.  $259 later, and 4 hours of waiting for a call back, the tech told me to re-run the script.   The script was re-ran, and it then gave an error message that made everything make sense.  The software I was trying to install was the wrong version, and after installing the correct version, everything worked as planned.   Man, I wasted 4 days worth of work because I did not listen to the thought I had to "re-run the script".

Also during the week, I was about to leave the sub-division when I was prompted to go check the tire on the van.  We have had a slow leak over the last month on the van, and a little air every couple of weeks fixed the problem.  I had not had a chance to take the Van to the shop to get it fix.  Well I get to work, and get on the phone with Microsoft for the first issue, when Momzoo calls and tells me she has a flat tire.  That was the same day I was prompted to check it on my way into work.  Her an the neighbor changed the tire, she was able to get to her appointment, and then took it to the shop to get it fixed.  There was a nail in the tire.  Man, I really let that one go.  If I would of listened, and went back to check the tire, I would of been able to change it for Momzoo and been able to make her day a little easier.

So then the question come to me.  "How do you tell if it is the Holy Ghost that is giving you the prompting, or if it is your own crazy thinking?"   You will never guess what we were talking about in Elders Quorum Sunday...  You guessed it, the difference between the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and the influence of the Holy Ghost.  Well, I thought I would ask the other Elders what they thought, and asked that question.   Here is what I have learned from the Elders in my ward, as well as from my pondering the question over the weekend.

One of the things that come up was that sometimes even the general authorities my have a hard time recognizing the Spirit.  Jeffery R Holland tells the following story in an article entitled, President Thomas S. Monson: Man of Action, Man of Faith, Always “on the Lord’s Errand”.  This article can be found in the Feb 1986 Ensign, page 10.

Twenty-three-year-old Tom Monson, relatively new bishop of the Sixth-Seventh Ward in the Temple View Stake, was uncharacteristically restless as the stake priesthood leadership meeting progressed. He had the distinct impression that he should leave the meeting immediately and drive to the Veterans’ Hospital high up on the Avenues of Salt Lake City. Before leaving home that night he had received a telephone call informing him that an older member of his ward was ill and had been admitted to the hospital for care. Could the bishop, the caller wondered, find a moment to go by the hospital sometime and give a blessing? The busy young leader explained that he was just on his way to a stake meeting but that he certainly would be pleased to go by the hospital as soon as the meeting was concluded.

Now the prompting was stronger than ever: “Leave the meeting and proceed to the hospital at once.” But the stake president himself was speaking at the pulpit! It would be most discourteous to stand in the middle of the presiding officer’s message, make one’s way over an entire row of brethren, and then exit the building altogether. Painfully he waited out the final moments of the stake president’s message, then bolted for the door even before the benediction had been pronounced.

Running the full length of the corridor on the fourth floor of the hospital, the young bishop saw a flurry of activity outside the designated room. A nurse stopped him and said, “Are you Bishop Monson?”

“Yes,” was the anxious reply.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “The patient was calling your name just before he passed away.”

Fighting back the tears, Thomas S. Monson turned and walked back into the night. He vowed then and there that he would never again fail to act upon a prompting from the Lord. He would acknowledge the impressions of the Spirit when they came, and he would follow wherever they led him, ever to be “on the Lord’s errand.”

There are two things that I learned from this story.  First, always listen when the Spirit talks to you, and Second, anyone can be confused by the promptings of the Spirit.

One of the Elders pointed out two Scriptures.  John 14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."   Notice the wording...  He will teach you ALL things, bring ALL things to your remembrance.   It does not say he will only bring some things, or important things.  But his role is for ALL things.  D&C 42:17 continues this by stating, "For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son."  The Comforter (Holy Ghost) also knows ALL things.

So how does knowing this help you recognize the Spirit?  It gives you the knowledge that he knows all things, and can therefore prompt you at any time about anything.  It does not have to be life altering, religious in nature, etc.  It can be about anything, and at anytime.   Like the two examples I gave, they are not religious in nature, and would only save me some time.  But they were something that the Spirit thought I needed ot know.

Another comment that was made was that if we are in doubt, pray about it.  If you have a question about if the prompting you are receiving is from the Holy Ghost, or something you are making up in you mind, you should pray about it.  Ask our Heavenly Father if it is truly a prompting from Him.   If you believe in prayer, He will confirm the prompting to you.

I hope that these insights help someone feel and understand the promptings of the Spirit.  This is something tha I do not do as often as I should, and will be looking for ways to be better at it in the future.  I am going to try to listen more intently, and to act on those promptings.  Because no matter what the prompting is, little or small, there is a reason for it.

Our duty to keep and bear arms... - Thoughts by Richard Kohler

A friend of mine prepared these notes, and I wanted to share them.  I was going to post them on inside84045.org, but felt that because of the religious nature of the notes this was a better place to post them.

Feel free to share them...

Title: Notes On: Our duty to keep and bear arms at all times: to defend ourselves, our families, friends; to preserve life and liberty even unto bloodshed.

You can read the notes in PDF for by going to: http://www.inside84045.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Self_Defense_-_Our_duty.pdf and reading it from the media library there.

God's Love

A year ago, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sent me a letter for my birthday.  Since my birthday is coming around again this year I wanted to talk a little bit about that letter.  Elder Johnson said something in his letter that has had me thinking since I read it.

"One thing I've learned recently is the love the Lord has for his children.  I guess I always knew it, but now I feel it!  I'm sure you know what I mean.  When you feel something it is the spirit manifesting the truth of it all the time.  That is the goal. " Elder Johnson - October 26, 2009

That one comment about "now I feel it", made me think.  I have felt the spirit of the Lord on a lot of occasions.  When I was married in the temple, during the birth and the baptisms of my children, and it has testified of the truth during other church meetings.   But have I ever really felt the love of the Lord?   This blog post is to help me find the answer to that question.  Have I ever felt the Love of the Lord?  I am not talking about the manifestation of the Spirit that testifies of truth, but the feeling that the Lord and our Heavenly Father loves me.  I have felt love a lot of times.  I have felt the love of my wife, my parents, family members, and my children.  But have I really ever felt the love of the Lord?

Lets start by defining what God's Love really is.  God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, our eldest brother are two different beings.   The scriptures tell us that they are one in purpose, and that Christ is like the Father and that they are as one. (3 Nephi 28:10).  By studying some of the attributes of our Heavenly Father and Christ, we get an idea of what their love would be like.

In a revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet in April 1830, we are told that:  "By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them;" (D&C 20:17).  I think that we can take these attributes and then apply them to the Love that our Heavenly Father and Christ have.  We learn that their love is infinite, eternal, everlasting, and unchangeable.  We could also say that because both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are perfect, then their love must be a perfect love as well.

In the first book of Nephi, Nephi's father Lehi tells his sons about visions he has had.  Nephi wants to know the meaning of the visions his father had, so he prays to God.   God tells him what he wants to know, and in chapter 11 we are give more information on the love of God.  "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things." (1 Nephi 11:22).  Not only is his love perfect and everlasting, but it is the "most desirable" thing we could want to have.

We also learn that it is very important for us to have and show love.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

(Matthew 22:36-40)

Why do you think that loving God and our neighbors are on the top of the list of commandments?  If you ask most people, they would tell you that it is because it is a way for us to sacrifice and to put aside the natural man.  That by loving God and others, we show that we really do indeed love God.    I think it has more of a meaning than that.  I think that by loving God and our neighbors, we are actually feeling Gods love.   Let me explain.

In John chapter 4, we are told alot about love.  He adds to the doctrine taught in Matthew.  

• 7: every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God
• 8: for God is love
• 10: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
• 11: God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us
• 16: God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
• 21: That he who loveth God love his brother also

I think I finally understand.  Elder Johnson is really feeling the love of God, what better way to feel the love of God than to be serving your fellow men on a mission.  By serving and loving them, you are feeling the love of God.  The more you share and show love, the more you will feel the love of God.  (Note:  Just think, the more children you have, and the more love you show them, the greater the love you will feel from God.  Maybe that is also one of the reasons the Church has such a positive stance to wards families.)

Elder Gene R Cook of the Seventy in a talk called, "Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love" stated the following:

Recognizing, Receiving, and Conveying God’s Love

How, then, can we better “clothe [ourselves] with the bond of charity … of perfectness and peace”? May I share with you three suggestions

1. Recognize His love. “Pray … with all the energy of heart” for this gift. Do so in meekness with a broken heart, and you will be filled with hope and love from the Holy Ghost Himself. He will reveal Christ to you.

It is part of the gift of charity to be able to recognize the Lord’s hand and feel His love in all that surrounds us. At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. You will search all your life to uncover His hand and the gifts He has bestowed upon you because of His intimate, modest, humble way of granting such wonderful gifts.

Ponder with me a moment the following majestic gifts: the glories of all creation, the earth, the heavens; your feelings of love and joy; His responses of mercy, forgiveness, and innumerable answers to prayer; the gift of loved ones; and finally the greatest gift of all—the Father’s gift of His atoning Son, the perfect one in charity, even the God of love.

2. Receive His love in humility. Be grateful for the gift and especially for the giver of the gift. True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love.

Receive it. Feel it. It is not enough just to know that God loves you. The gift is to be felt continually day by day. It will then be a divine motivator throughout your life. Repent. Remove any worldliness from your life, including anger. Receive a continual remission of your sins, and you will bridle all your passions and be filled with love.

3. Convey His love. The Lord’s response to us is always filled with love. Should not our response to Him be in kind, with real feelings of love? He gives grace (or goodness) for grace, attribute for attribute. As our obedience increases, we receive more grace (or goodness) for the grace we return to Him. Offer Him the refinement of your attributes, so that when He does appear you will be like Him.

As a man first immerses his thoughts in love and conveys those feelings to God, man, or self, a magnified portion of that attribute will surely follow from the Spirit. That is true of all godly attributes. Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, so remember: to be loved, truly love.

Elder Cook finishes by saying:

Brothers and sisters, as an especial witness of Christ, I bear testimony to you again of the overwhelming love of God for each of us personally. Magnifying that gift from God will bring a new heart, a pure heart, and ever-increasing love and peace. As we increasingly think and act like Him, the attributes of the natural man will slip away to be replaced by the heart and the mind of Christ. We will become like Him and then truly receive Him.

The scriptures and the prophets tell us that if we love one another, then we will in turn feel the love of Jesus Christ and the love of our Heavenly Father.  I guess that if I want to feel the love of God more in my life, that I better stop thinking about myself and start showing more love to wards those around me.

In his talk, Elder Cook talks about the Destroyers of Love,

"Yet there stands the devil, the destroyer of this love, replacing it with anger and hostility. My friend William felt that way: hostile. It seemed that whatever happened, it was the Lord’s fault—an illness, a death, a wayward child, a personal weakness, an “unanswered” prayer—all of which hardened his heart. His inner anger, which could flare up in but a moment, was directed toward God, his fellowman, and himself. From his heart emanated unbelief, stubbornness, pride, contention, and a loss of hope, love, and direction. He was miserable!

These destroyers of peace blinded William to God’s feelings for him. He could neither discover nor feel God’s love. He did not see, especially in those dark moments, that God was richly blessing him even still. Instead, he returned anger for love. Have we not all felt that at times? Even when we have merited love the least, He has loved us the most. Truly, He loves us first.

If we want to feel of Gods love, we also need to remove anything from our lives that takes away from the love and peace we can show to others.  If we watch, listen, or participate in things that are contrary to Gods will, we will not be able to feel his love.

But we must always remember, just because our lives may not me in order for us to constantly feel the love of God, that does not mean that He does not Love us.   We just need to find what in our life is stopping us from being able to see that love.  If we do that, we will taste of his love, and it will be the "most desirable" thing we could want and seek.  It is a never ending cycle.  The more you love others, the more you feel the love of God, and the more you desire that feeling.  We just need to remember that Satan is trying to stop us from feeling that love, and trying to make us think that other things are more desirable than it.

President packer... Cont.

A lot has been said and a lot will be said about President Packer's talk from Conference Oct 2010.  Someone forwarded this link to me:

http://gaymormonguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/president-packers-talk-from-gay-mormon.html?spref=fb

This is a blog post by a Gay Mormon and his presepective on the talk.  It think that the author of this blog understands the post better than I did.  Please give it a read, he has a very insightful insight.

Everlasing punishment

In the Book of Mormon, there is a King/Prophet named Benjamin, that while serving his people helped them keep peace for a long time.  He is about to die, so he is addressing his people one final time.  I would say that this is the first account of a General Conference in the scriptures.  King Benjamin has everyone gather in family groups around the Temple.  He then builds a tower so that as many people as possible can hear him. (We now use mass media). Then has the words written down so that those who could not hear him can read his words. (The Ensign, and Internet are used now.)  Sounds like what the Church is doing today twice a year.  Gather the saints, give them counsel and doctrine, and then writing it down so people who could not hear can read it.

During his final words, he says this Mosiah 2:31-36:

31 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye shall keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no power over you.


32 But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.

33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.

34 I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;

35 And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now. And behold, also, they spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are just and true.

36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—

He makes the point that the keeping the Lords commandments have kept them safe  for generations.  Notice that he also passes the office to someone else and says that by following the next prophet we can also be protected.  Then he points out that if they start to have contentions among themselves that things are going to change.
 
He also mentions that everyone knows this expect for the little children.  I think that he is implying that we need to keep educating the children, or we will also lose our peaceful state.
 
I think that this scripture applies to us now.  There has been a lot of contentions among the saints concerning Prop 8, and President Packer's recent conference talk.   We need to make sure that we do not "list to obey the evil spirit", and that we teach our children what the prophets have said.  (As a member of the LDS Church, I have sustained President Packer as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and have agreed to support him in his calling.  By supporting him, I also agree to follow his warnings and council.)
 
King Benjamin in those versus then tells us, "ye have known and have been taught all these things, if you should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, you do withdraw yourself from the Spirit of the Lord, that it my have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved--"   I think this warning still stands.  If we go contrary to what the prophets have spoken then we lose blessings, the promise of prosperity, and will not be preserved.

NOTE: I just want to make something clear.  I am not saying that homosexuals will get Everlasting punishment.  The people that will get Everlasing punishment are those that fight the council and words of the prophets.  Those that harbor the spirit of contention and cause fighting between the saints of the Church.  That applies to both Heterosexuals and Homosexuals.

President Packer said WHAT?

There has been a lot of "wars, and rumors of wars" over what President Boyd K Packer said in the Oct 2010 General Conference about the stance the Church has on Homosexuality.  The wars have started because of a talk entitled, "Cleansing the Inner Vessel."  In that talk President Packer says:

We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that “wickedness never was happiness.” Alma 41:10

Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father.

First I want to point out, that no where in his talk does he say that we DON'T LOVE anyone, and that we should PERSECUTE anyone or HATE them.  As an apostle of the Lord, he is giving us advise and telling us about things in the world that we should avoid and not justify.

There are a couple of things I want to remind people of when they respond to this talk.  There are a couple of misconceptions that people are using to, "kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God." (D&C 121:38)

First, who's church is it....

A lot of people forget when they are trying to persuade people to fight against the words of President Packer that this is not President Packer's church.   This is not President Monson's church, your church, my church or the member's church.   We all may belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), but it is not our church.  We need to remember that this is the Lord's church.  It is a church that is not lead by men, but lead by Jesus Christ himself and our Heavenly Father.  If you don't have a testimony of who is really in charge of this church, then you need to get down on your knees and ask the Lord to testify with his spirit and the Holy Ghost to let you KNOW it is His church.  This church is not the church of man, it is the church of GOD.  


Second, GOD does not change...
A lot of people are also confused on this topic.  Yes, it is true that GOD does not change.  There are a lot of scriptures that say He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and forever".  Yes, God's nature is unchangeable.  And there are a couple of things that GOD cannot do.  He cannot deny His Son, and He cannot lie.  If He does either of those, He will exist to be God. (Titus 1:2)  He also can't rob justice from mercy or mercy from justice. (See Alma 42).  But I have yet to find a place in the scriptures where it says His doctrine, or His church cannot change.  In fact, there are a lot of scriptures, old and new, that say the opposite.

Adam and Eve in the garden had a different law than they had after the fall.   The Israelites had a different law before the 10 commandments.   After Christ came to the Earth and gave the ultimate sacrifice, the law changed again.  It changed from "an Eye for an Eye" to "turn the other cheek" (Matt 5:39, 3 Nephi 12:39).

My point is that the Gospel of God's church does change.  It changes over time.  But it changes because God changes it, not because man thinks that God should change it.  This principle is also taught in the scriptures.  Remember these concepts?  "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10,13).  Or how about the concept of milk before meat? "For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive'" (D&C 19:22).  As we become a more religious society, God gives us more doctrine, and laws to help us achieve the ultimate goal, and that is to become perfect has He is, and to return to live with Him. But there are MORAL laws that he will never change or consider changing.

The reason I bring this up is that some people think that because God has changed in some of his doctrine, namely the practice of polygamy (polygamy is still an eternal law) and blacks holding the priesthood, that he will change his view on homosexuality.  BUT, the Lord will not change his stance on a MORAL issue, the Lord has told us through his prophets that it is an "impure and unnatural" practice.   It does not matter how many people protest it, God will not change his doctrine on a MORAL issue.   (Do you really think that homosexuality brings us closer to God?)  The practice also goes against the first law given to Adam and Eve to "multiply , and replenish the earth..."

There are a LOT of things that the Church has taken a stand on.  They have a very strong stance against Murder, Adultery, Fornication, Bestiality, Incest, Rape, Necrophilia.  All of which are also choices that people have made, and are moral  issues.  I don't see anyone trying to get the church to change its stance on any of these.  Some people have a harder time with temptation than others.  There are some people who become addicted to drugs after one use, and others that can stop at any time.  That does not mean that God should change his stance on either of those.  Everyone has their trials, but that does not mean that God should approve of actions because they are what man or people think should be OK to do.

God does not change, the administration of His church does change, and will change.  But he will not change his stance on a moral issue.  No matter how hard people protest, or say that something should be, does not make it so.  President Packer makes ths point at the begining of his so called hate talk.

Fifteen years ago, with the world in turmoil, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the fifth proclamation in the history of the Church. It is a guide that members of the Church would do well to read and to follow.


It states in part: “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

“The Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them.

“And the Gods said: We will bless them. And . . . we will cause them to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” (Abraham 4:27-28)

This commandment has never been rescinded.

Third, why all the HATE....

If I hear one more person tell me, that because the church has taken a stance on something that they are preaching Hate, I will SCREAM.  Show me where in any of the official doctrine of the church where we are told that we are to HATE someone because of a sin, or immoral practice they are engaging in.  Not once in President Packers talk does he say we should HATE anyone that is struggling with homosexuality.  I see the exact opposite in the talk.  He talks about how God suffered for us so we could overcome sin.  And that if we live what God has told us that we will be happy.  Not once does he preach hate. 
 
Where is all the talk of Hate when the church takes a stand against Murder, Adultery, Drugs....   Just because the church says that something is wrong does not mean the church preaches HATE to wards those that are struggling with that sin. 
 
Being intolerant of an action does not mean someone is intolerant of the person participating in that action.  You can truly HATE a sin, but LOVE the sinner.  Because you HATE the sin, does not mean that you automatically HATE the sinner.  If you are being true to the teachings of the church, we are taught the total opposite.  We are taught that EVERYONE is a child of God, and has a divine potential.  We are also taught that EVERYONE is a brother and sister of God, and they deserve our love as a brother and sister.  But we do not have to LOVE or tolerate behavior that we are taught is contrary to Gods plan.
 
In conclusion....
We have to remember why God has a church on earth, and why we are given commandments.  Some of them are to test our faith, but ALL of them are to help prepare us to return to live with him again.   I think that President Packer said it best, in the talk he is getting blasted for, at the end he said:

President Joseph Fielding Smith told me of a repentant woman struggling to find her way out of a very immoral life. She asked him what she should do now.

In turn, he asked her to read to him from the Old Testament the account of Lot’s wife, who was turned to a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) Then he asked her, “What lesson do you gain from those verses?”

She answered, “The Lord will destroy the wicked.”

“Not so!” President Smith said that the lesson for this repentant woman and for you is “Don’t look back!” (Boyd K. Packer, The Things of the Soul (1996), 116)

Strangely enough, it may be that the simplest and most powerful prevention and cure for pornography, or any unclean act, is to ignore and avoid it. Delete from the mind any unworthy thought that tries to take root. Once you have decided to remain clean, you are asserting your God-given agency. And then, as President Smith counseled, “Don’t look back.”

I promise that ahead of you is peace and happiness for you and your family. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home. And I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you who are struggling against this terrible plague, to find the healing that is available to us in the priesthood of the Lord. I bear witness of that power in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Note, he does not call down the wrath of God on those who "struggle against this terrible plague".   He calls down the blessings of God.  Where is the HATE?

Wandering in the desert

Do you ever feel that life is like wandering in a desert.  You have no idea where you are, where you have been, or where you are going?   The only thing you know is that it is hot and you think you have been here before.

After Lehi, his family, and Ishmael's family left Jerusalem and were traveling in the wilderness, the Lord directed them in their travels with a Liahona.  Nephi describes it as such.

And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness. [1 Nephi 16:10]

Alma later in the Book of Mormon talks about the Liahona to his son Helaman.

38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.


39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.

40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. [Alma 37:38-40]

Notice how Alma said that "there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship."  The Liahona was a gift from God, not something that a man could create.  Alama continues to say that the Liahona is a type for Christ and his words.  Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of the Seventy talks about this in his talk, "The Words of Christ - Our Spiritual Liahona". 

Elder David A. Bednar in a talk dated, May 2006 titled "That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us" talks just about that subject. 

As we strive to align our attitudes and actions with righteousness, then the Holy Ghost becomes for us today what the Liahona was for Lehi and his family in their day. The very factors that caused the Liahona to work for Lehi will likewise invite the Holy Ghost into our lives. And the very factors that caused the Liahona not to work anciently will likewise cause us to withdraw ourselves from the Holy Ghost today.

He then continues:

As we study and ponder the purposes of the Liahona and the principles by which it operated, I testify that we will receive inspiration suited to our individual and family circumstances and needs. We can and will be blessed with ongoing direction from the Holy Ghost.


The Liahona was prepared by the Lord and given to Lehi and his family after they left Jerusalem and were traveling in the wilderness (see Alma 37:38; D&C 17:1). This compass or director pointed the way that Lehi and his caravan should go (see 1 Ne. 16:10), even “a straight course to the promised land” (Alma 37:44). The pointers in the Liahona operated “according to the faith and diligence and heed” (1 Ne. 16:28) of the travelers and failed to work when family members were contentious, rude, slothful, or forgetful (see 1 Ne. 18:12, 21; Alma 37:41, 43).

The compass also provided a means whereby Lehi and his family could obtain greater “understanding concerning the ways of the Lord” (1 Ne. 16:29). Thus, the primary purposes of the Liahona were to provide both direction and instruction during a long and demanding journey. The director was a physical instrument that served as an outward indicator of their inner spiritual standing before God. It worked according to the principles of faith and diligence.

Just as Lehi was blessed in ancient times, each of us in this day has been given a spiritual compass that can direct and instruct us during our mortal journey. The Holy Ghost was conferred upon you and me as we came out of the world and into the Savior’s Church through baptism and confirmation. By the authority of the holy priesthood we were confirmed as members of the Church and admonished to seek for the constant companionship of “the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17).

As we each press forward along the pathway of life, we receive direction from the Holy Ghost just as Lehi was directed through the Liahona. “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne. 32:5).

The Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed.

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. …

“The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth” (D&C 121:45–46).

And the Holy Ghost provides for us today the means whereby we can receive, “by small and simple things” (Alma 37:6), increased understanding about the ways of the Lord: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

When King Benjamin was waxing old, he gave his sone Mosiah several items.  One of those items was the Liahona.  He had this to say about it:

18 ..and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.

17 Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty. [Mosiah 1:16-17]

After reading this, I was struck with the impression that if I feel like I am wondering through the desert, then I need to get my Liahona working again.   From these talks and scripture references, that means I need to get back to the basics.  If I concentrate on Faith, Prayer, and Scripture Study, then the Lord will help me with my personal Liahona to be led out of the desert or wilderness.  The Liahona of today is the Holy Ghost, and as we do things that interfere with its workings.  And by interfering with its workings, we incur the displeasure of God, and are smitten with sore afflictions until we are stirred up to remembrance of our duty.
 

I was then thinking of how to illustrate this to my children.  How do I show them that when we are not allowing the Holy Ghost into our lives, we become lost, and don't know where the path out of the desert is.  The thought then came to me to use a compass.  If you put a strong magnetic field by the compass, you can then make it point in the wrong direction, it won't port North.  Fighting, and the things of the world are like the magnetic field, they will interfere with the compass, and we will not know what the Lord wants us to do.
 
We as parents need to be diligent in not allowing magnets to enter our homes that will interfere with our personal Liahona.  If we do, we can find ourselves wandering through the desert or wilderness with no direction.  Or we can find that what we thought was North was being changed by a magnetic field.