thoughts on belief

Belief is a strange thing, something akin to the Emporer's new clothes.

Like Adam Duritz echoed in "Mr. Jones" I want to be someone who believes. And it seems the alternate is giving up. So, I try so very hard to know what to believe, but it seems elusive. After spending most of my life expecting I will know something, I only know that I will never know, wait, secretly, I still hope that is false.

When I become one who knows I will share the secret with others, because the joy of knowing comes in the disclosing or something.

But, truthfully, there have been very powerful moments that have and never will be shared, likely they will find kinship or understanding in no other breast.

I have been deeply touched by honesty and intrigued by disclosure of truth by others. But from it I can only tell that there is no one way to know things, and faith is the hope for things not seen, well, there surely must be unknowable things or else faith would be useless. So, I should stop looking to know if I ever hope to believe.

Years ago, I heard a man's rebuttle to no evidence of Moses and his children of Israel roaming about in the deseret. Regarding such Bible stories he said, "being factual and being true in this case is not the same thing." And often I have applied that to my life situations. Faith as tiny as a grain of mustard could move a mountain, and look what Enoch accomplished....wait, how? Believe me, the stories of Enoch are worth knowing.... *Wink*

Then, there is the way of gaining belief

brain dump

Gratitude is the force to open the door that God is shown to be Knocking on in the painting.

How can we presently be thankful in future?

Read Alma both talks mentioned scriptures and their topics we're about thankfulness.

Story about the miraculous blessings a woman/mother received, most likely a result  of her thankful attitude.

Our Ward is a family so sharing with friends ought to not be frightful of dreaded at all, our bishop called it friending when we approach the podium to share our testimonies. :)

Lastly, I was thinking about timing and how often I used to hear things differently than they actually we're like "playing an instrument  -al role in the lives of..... " For years I mis sang a song " Thus on to eternal per-

fection The honest and faithful will go," because the word is written on a different line I always sang or thought that we were on to eternal perspective and it did not make sense, and I tried so hard to understand it.

For sacrament, because my daughter thinks in math and wanted to play quiz each other on times tables I created a new significance in her mind I told her that the sacrament was like multiplying by 0, so, no matter what sin trues to enter Our minds we just think if our savior and it multiplies by 0 and so the sacrament sort of erases everything.

Apostles cannot lie. So if an apostle quotes a prophet, how significant and true it must be:

“When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ!”

Read scriptures EVERYDAY!

And memorize some to recall at sacrament. When prophet asked what he thinks about, he said that he only thinks of "only Him."

my Dune colored glasses

Well, this morning, I was lamenting for the multitude of people that fade out of awareness. They are like a toy tossed by a baby in a high schair, never thought of again, like the minions in a battle scene who scatter the path to a goal who knows what their story was or how they got there. But, as I listened to another talk in preparation for a lesson at church today I noticed a talk within a talk which madee pause and as I was going to write it down as significant if a prophet is heeded and quoted by another. And it is copied to be pasted any moment, but as I was about to paste it I thought, "We see plans within plans. We see you behind it." And I giggled a bit to see how often I think of the movie Dune.

Oh, before I tangent again, here is the significant, important thing that brought me here:

“When we choose to repent, we choose to change!"

I mean, surely, there is a lot of sorrow involved, but in all changing is not clinging to what could be good, it is recognizing there was bad and it needs to change. It is a happy thing, really. But, that makes me recall my son's baptism. He was worried that if his sins were washed away that would change him because he wasn't even sure what sins were and if he wouldn't ever even remember them he was worried about who he would be. I assured him that he would still be himself.

Last thing, I was watching an anointing of a queen (not really) and thought so much about worthiness and bloodlines and prophets, which also is very Dunish to think...like the Benejeserets manipulating bloodlines. But, I noticed how the actress tried to portray an actual change as the Divine settled on her, it was significant. I was glad to see it.

stake conf sat session

The aim of all gospel learning is to increase our testimonies, it needs to be done with the spirit.

We all have an opportunity to teach, so how are we going to do this.

King Benjamin knew that the most significant grouping is in families, so after he presented the information they retired to their families to ponder, study, etc.

Christopher's on gave a talk on repentance it would be wise to review it and perhaps come to know more about how to change as it will be necessary. Real repentance might require repeated attempts.

Repentance is a process not a one time event.

Striving, ongoing repentance.

Unable to make it in the world without familiarity with the Holy Ghost.

Not only obedience, but an inclination towards good. Thus repentance is a turning that WILL be needed.

No real progress without repentance!

Daily focus on repentance....always remember him, and try to create an according mindset, daily. With breakfast, feed a child the thought of being Christian...and remember exactly who we are at all times! They will need that.

God will always give us aid if we need it, because nothing that he asks will fail to be accomplished... Reminds me of the time the apostles

Asked Jesus if they ought to stop the throng of people from shouting hosannas and tossing palms leaves before him. He said to let them if he didn't the rocks would cry out.

1) teach as we study together. Let them learn as you do.

A child may be touched and learning at times you may be unaware. 

Consistency matters. Elder Bednar's painting of ugly colors up close when standing back a beautiful masterpiece of a wheatfield is seen and this is so much like what feel like our failure to teach and study.

2) teach through service. Temple work included.

3)by showing Christlike Love. We need to truly feel love for those whom we teach.

Sin sick world is an epidemic like a widespread illness.

Need to finish strong... Story of missionary who wanted to work instead of sit around and feel wrapped in his own pity.

The choice to come tonight with give us other choices that otherwise would not be available, do not back down or fear making those choices. Remember the enabling power of the atonement.

Interesting suggestion to always bathe children when young

Repentece is balm of the past.

Faith covers the future.

Gift of Holy Ghost for the present.

I will never ask my children to do a thing that I would not do myself.

Nothing happens by accident in the home.

Book of Mormon is the sickle which need to reread to sharpen. Read it every single day.

You can go visit people on Sunday.

Find and memorize 5 scriptures to review during the sacrament and think of ONLY HIM.

Trust in the Lord Braindump

More recently, the function of the correlation department has shifted to planning and approving church publications and curriculum and keeping unorthodox information, doctrines and other undesired concepts from being introduced or revived.

What do we know about the spirit world from the scriptures?

D&C 138

When I listened this morning I instantly thought of how different it was from what I always believed and yet, there it was in the scriptures and I had somehow not ever know it. 

Jesus did not go to the spirit prison, but he set up missions to go visit whom he had not be able to see. Bondage is felt by any who have had a long time away from their bodies, hence that is what Peter said that Jesus visited those in the spirit prison.

Peter 3:19

It really strikes me how totally set apart my thoughts and feelings are from the others in my class. I almost feel like I ought not be here. When The teacher asks questions I think I have the exact answer, yet if I keep such things to myself I notice that the comments have absolutely nothing to do with what I was thinking. Again, I see that to me this lesson was about something completely different. It is so odd that there would be a gulf here in Relief Society.

Now! They are discussing things that I thought of. The stories of difficult questions where the answer is not known but trust was placed in the Lord.... And now The teacher drifts towards what was initially significant to me.

brain dump

The Lord doesn't need us to sell the church simply do not hide it under a bushel....this was a comment a classmate had from Paul's admonition to not be ashamed. It came from a talk by Dieter Uchtdorf.

It is not enough to have a testimony and just live off of it, reminds me of the deer who were trapped and to not starve were fed hay, but they starved to death. 

I wondered if it is a blessing to have not gained a emotional testimony. All along I have been concerned that I wanted to feel things were true cause it was going to save me.

Women need to be important and that needed to be realized, people wonder and the class speculates why women haven't always been pivotal or heeded in all situations. It was decided that there is likely a reason why things were not that way. There is a season to everything and it is mentioned that I was purposefully born to my family at this time to help prepare the world for the second coming of the Savior in my pat. blessing.

"Do you think that you could ever, through all eternity, find out the generation Where God's began to be the works of God continue, and worlds and lives abound improvement and progression have one eternal round..." This was part  of an answer given to my son's question about time...which has to have a begining. I suggested that it might not exist outside our realm.

From the SS lesson for 1rst week of November:

“Many years ago, while I was mending a fence, a small sliver of wood entered into my finger. I made a meager attempt to remove the sliver and thought I had done so, but apparently I had not. As time went on, skin grew over the sliver, creating a lump on my finger. It was annoying and sometimes painful.

“Years later I decided to finally take action. All I did was simply apply ointment to the lump and cover it with a bandage. I repeated this process frequently. You cannot imagine my surprise when one day, as I removed the bandage, the sliver had emerged from my finger.

“The ointment had softened the skin and created an escape for the very thing that had caused pain for so many years. Once the sliver was removed, the finger quickly healed, and to this day, there remains no evidence of any injury.

“In a similar way, an unforgiving heart harbors so much needless pain. When we apply the healing ointment of the Savior’s Atonement, He will soften our heart and help us to change. He can heal the wounded soul (see Jacob 2:8)” (“The Healing Ointment of Forgiveness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 33).

Story of Philemon not a letter mentioning how to live of Christ (directly mentioned). But it is a story that truly demonstrated a Christlike life. Paul will pay for anything owed to the previous master.

A cool comment from choir practice: a woman wondered from a line about peace and meekness in 'o little town of bethlehem' if it means more that there was no room in the Inn where "the Lord entered in" needed to be a place where he could be. And Inns are not likely suitable in the peaceful or humble departments.