God's Grace, Mormonism and Romans chapter 8

Last night the topic of Mormonism came up, A LOT. Dad and I had a discussion where he opened up to me about his thoughts on the religion. Mormonism creates doctrinal issues, like substituting Grace for Works and even created a different Jesus that required works other than faith in order to achieve God's forgiveness. A year or two ago, I would have steadfastly denied, quoted James and brushed off the possibility, as much as it embarrasses me to admit it. But in the last couple of months and especially last night, I found that I agreed with what my father was saying. He especially drove the point home by pointing at me and said "keep in mind, Kristyn, that there isn't a man on Earth that can do God's job for him."

"There isn't a man on Earth that can do God's job for him." That definitely got me thinking. Because, for the last seven or eight years I have followed a man that claimed to be God's mouthpiece, not necessarily blindly, but definitely with devotion. I believed in a man that restored God's word with plates of brass and gold that was full of supplications to repentance and even tried to mold my life according to the requirements. And it made me angry. When I asked dad why the thought of the last few years made me angry, hurt and sad; he said "because you thought it was true and you'll never be able to make up for the years you were being deceived." That is the thing, too. I have come to realize that Mormonism isn't true and that I had been living a lie. And while I have come under condemnation for slowly making my way to that conclusion, I have also realized something else and it is the most important: No man can judge my eternal destination, not even a prophet.

All of this is found in Romans 8:1- Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

No condemnation means that those who are in Christ are saved from Hell because we are acquitted from our sins. Because we are in Christ Jesus by accepting him as his personal savior. Which means we are saved by GRACE.

But what is Grace? Grace is mercy. According to the Bible dictionary, Grace is a favor in expression. The unmerited and abundant gift of God's love and favor of man, "particularly made effective in Jesus Christ".

One particular form of grace can be saving from a cataclysmic event, such as found in the Book of Genesis. Noah was saved from destruction because of his faith and God showed mercy: Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8

Another form of grace is found in the New Testament that is full of descriptions of God's tender mercies.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The word is alive! It came to us from a loving God so that we may behold HIS GLORY! Because of His eternal truth and his good grace we are saved.

John 1:15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out saying; "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me."

John is referring to Jesus, his cousin. Even though John was born before Jesus, he recognized that Jesus is above him because Jesus is the savior of the world.

John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received on blessing after another.

Grace, it is all about grace. Every blessing God has given us comes from loving grace.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

While we were given laws by God, we are only saved by Jesus Christ. We can't work our way into Heaven.

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 

Jesus' sacrifice covers all trespasses! God's grace cover us because His son has us covered! Jesus Christ is the only way we can be right with God. Because it's the love of God that forgives us and no amount of penitence will makes us right with Him unless we allow Jesus to cover us. Think of it like you go to dinner with Jesus and when the bill comes you both reach for it, but he says, "It's okay, I got it. The bill is on me." That, brothers and sisters is the grace that Jesus offered us on Calvary where he hung on a cross and took our sins. Why would we cheapen it by offering to pay the tip with penitence and constantly trying to earn our place in the Kingdom of God?

We are natural men! We are imperfect beings! I'm sure these thoughts are going through the minds of some. But to that, I offer 1 Corinthians 13:10 for your consideration:

But when perfection comes, the imperfection disappears. 1 Corinthians 13:10.

This means that we are imperfect, because we sin and we do it over and over and over and over. But Jesus is perfect. He never sinned and by immersing ourselves in his blood that was shed for us. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are as crimson, they shall be as wool." Jesus makes us perfect if we accept his eternal gift of grace.

2 Corinthians 6: 1-2 gives us warning when it comes to grace.

1. As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 

God's grace is truly a gift to us. We are the only creatures given this opportunity. We should never deny God. He wants us to accept this gift freely. He doesn't want us to reject him or worse cheapen His gift by trying to buy it with works. After all, Romans 4:4 says, "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due." When we work towards Heaven, if it were remotely possible, and we achieved it; God would give it out of obligation, not grace. Which is why Romans 4:5 says "And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." 

2. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." 

God helps us in our times of need and He is always there to help us. We just need to trust him to be there.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Jesus loved us enough to humble himself and allow our sins to taint him, thus cutting himself off from the presence of God. Jesus was so rich because he was in God and God was in him. But he loved us enough to give up his perfection, God's presence and his physical comfort just for us. That is perfect grace, brothers and sisters.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. 

We are saved through faith, which is God's gift to us. We can't save ourselves.

9. Not by works, so that no one can boast. 

We enter the Kingdom of God because it is his gift for faith. We can't do it with works. The Book of Mormon says that we are saved with grace AFTER ALL WE CAN DO (2 Nephi 25:23). But Joseph Smith is wrong. While works are an act of faith, they cannot make us worthy of Salvation. And, frankly, it is arrogant of the church to teach that we have to do works to be worthy of forgiveness and salvation. When it comes to the grace of God, we have no bragging rights.

FAITH IS NOT A WORK!

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and may the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

This is how we should fare people well. By letting them know of God's grace and wishing it upon them. This is how we glorify him and Jesus, by helping others see the wonders of God's eternal and majestic grace.

God be with you. Christ be with you.

ke7ejx

Merriam Websters Dictionary: Grace- unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. A virtue coming from God. A state of sanctification enjoyed through DIVINE GRACE. A disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy and clemency.

Lord, Open the Eyes of My Heart!

In 2012, I began to study church doctrine more closely. Whether it was doctrines like the Lorenzo Snow Couplet, the Adam-God doctrine, The King Follet Discourse, and doctrines discussing the nature of God to name a few. The more I read, the more confused I got. Thoughts became questions, questions became doubt and up until a few months ago, I was dealing with these questions privately. Since bringing my questions out of the cellar of my brain, I have been met with various responses, various reactions and little answers. I am blessed in the friends that have been supportive in my quest, no matter the religion or lack of religion they subscribe to. It all boils down to one question for me: Is Mormonism true? Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the true Christian church? Having been a devout member for seven years, this is a rather disturbing pickle to be in. A couple of days ago, I shared my concerns on Facebook (for better or worse)  and was asked to share my questions and resources. I am doing it for two reasons: One, because I genuinely, truly, sincerely seeking answers to these exceedingly fundamental questions. Two, because I've been accused of using Anti-Mormon Literature. I wish to show that all of my resources are indeed teachings and literature made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I do want to make one thing quite plain: This is NOT an attempt to create a fight! This is a 24 year old's quest for knowledge and understanding. Please feel free to comment on this post. And without further ado, I present the questions:

·         If it's true that “God will never give [us] personal revelation that contradicts what has already been revealed in the scriptures” (Preparing for Exaltation: Teacher's Manual, page 85), and that personal revelation should never be accepted when it conflicts with “known facts, proven truths, or good common sense” (Doctrines and Covenants: Student Manual, Religion 324 and 325, page 416), why do so many members of our church discourage using scripture and other sure truths as a way to test our testimonies to make sure that they're from God?  Didn't Joseph Smith warn us, “Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil” (quoted by Francis M. Gibbons, sermon on 6 October 1991, in Conference Report, page 109)? 

·         The scriptures speak of Elohim and Jehovah.  Either Elohim and Jehovah are the same God, or they are different Gods.  Current Church teaching is that our Heavenly Father is Elohim, and that Jesus Christ his Son is “the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New” (“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Twelve Apostles”, First Presidency statement from January 2000).  But there are sections of scripture where the Father is addressed as Jehovah.  For instance, the LDS Bible Dictionary agrees that, in the King James Version, 'LORD' in all-caps represents the name 'Jehovah'.  In Psalm 110:1, it therefore reads, “The LORD [i.e., Jehovah] said to my lord, Sit thou at my right hand”.  The New Testament repeatedly identifies the 'LORD' with the Father and the 'my lord' as Jesus (Mark 12:36; 14:62; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13).  If Jesus Christ is the God Jehovah, and if the Father is a separate God above Jehovah, then why does Psalm 110:1 present the Father as Jehovah?  Or, if both are somehow rightly called Jehovah, then since Deuteronomy 6:4 (the central tenet of the Jewish faith, and the basis for what Jesus called the Greatest Commandment in Mark 12:29-30) says that there is only one God who is Jehovah, how does that not mean that the Father and the Son are only one God, just like the other churches teach (the doctrine of the Trinity: three persons who are only one God) but our church rejects?

·         If the Godhead consists of “three Gods” or “three separate Gods” (as taught by Joseph Smith, sermon on 16 June 1844 quoted in TPC: Joseph Smith, page 42; Spencer W. Kimball, sermon on 5 April 1964, in April 1964 Conference Report, page 94; Boyd K. Packer, sermon on 7 October 1984, in October 1984 Conference Report, page 84), then why does God himself so frequently say that “there is no else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5), that he is “God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else” (Deuteronomy 4:39)?  Why does he say things like, “I am the first, and I am the last; beside me there is no god.  …  Is there a god beside me?  Yea, there is no god; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:6, 8)? 

·         If Heavenly Father is a man who had to become God (as taught by Joseph Smith, sermon on 7 April 1844; Lorenzo Snow, sermon on 11 October 1857, as quoted in TPC: Lorenzo Snow, page 85; L. Tom Perry, talk on 20 August 2002 at BYU; and various church manuals [e.g., Achieving a Celestial Marriage (1976), page 4]), and who has had Gods and Fathers above him (as taught by Joseph Smith, sermon on 16 June 1844; Orson Pratt, The Seer, page 132; Brigham Young, sermon on 8 October 1854 at General Conference; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 2:47 and quoted in the 1984 priesthood manual, page 152), then why does God himself say in the scriptures that “before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10-11), and that he is the “Most High God” (Genesis 14:22)? 

·         The scriptures teach that no one except for Jehovah was involved in the creation of the world, because he says, “I am the LORD [i.e., Jehovah] that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24).  But if that's true, why do church manuals still teach – quoting Elder Bruce R. McConkie – that Jehovah was “aided in the creation of this earth by 'many of the noble and great' spirit children of the Father” who “played a part in the great creative enterprise” (The Pearl of Great Price: Student Manual, Religion 327, page 38)? 

·         If Brigham Young was a prophet of God, then when he taught the church publicly, he should have been listened to.  At General Conference, he taught that Adam was God the Father, saying that Adam is “our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Brigham Young, sermon on 9 April 1852, in Millennial Star 15:769), claiming later that he received this teaching as one that “God revealed to me – namely that Adam is our father and God” (Brigham Young, sermon on 8 June 1873, in Deseret News 22:308), and he even inserted this teaching into the endowment ceremony in referring to Jesus Christ as “Father Adam's first begotten in the spirit world”, in that Adam had “come in the spirit to Mary and she conceived” (see L. John Nuttall, journal entry for 7 February 1877, BYU Special Collections).  Because of this teaching, many others in the Church embraced it in those days – but in more recent times, the Church has rejected it, with apostles numbering it as a 'deadly heresy' that is “contrary to the whole plan of salvation” (Bruce R. McConkie, talk on 1 June 1980 at BYU).  If Brigham Young was a prophet, then how can he spend decades teaching a 'deadly heresy' to the Church as a revelation from God and convincing many other church leaders to also teach it?  What more would he have had to do to not qualify as a true prophet of God? 

·         If the Apostle Paul refers to Adam as “one that sinned” (Romans 5:16), then why did Elder Dallin H. Oaks insist in General Conference that “the act that produced the Fall was not a sin” (see talk on 3 October 1993, in Conference Report, page 98), and why do manuals also insist that Adam's decision was “not a sin” (Preparing for Exaltation: Teacher's Manual, page 13)? 

·         If we all lived in an eternal pre-existence with our Heavenly Father as his spirit-children, and if we came to earth from our heavenly existence with him, then why does Jesus contrast himself with the rest of us by saying things like, “Ye are from beneath, I am from above” (John 8:23), and, “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven” (John 3:13)? 

·         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to hold priesthood authority from God, divided into the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood.  In the Old Testament, priests in the Aaronic Priesthood were ordained when they laid hands on animals that were slaughtered, and then had their own ears, thumbs, and toes smeared with animal blood (Exodus 29).  If Hebrews 5:4 (“no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron”) means that ordinations have to follow the same form as Aaron's ordination, why don't we cover our young men with animal blood to ordain them, as was Aaron?

·         Also, if the New Testament says that even Jesus was ineligible to hold the Aaronic Priesthood because he was not descended from Levi (Hebrews 7:14), why does our church ordain people to the Aaronic Priesthood without paying attention to their ancestry if even Jesus couldn't be ordained to it?

·         The New Testament also says that, when Jesus came to be our Melchizedek Priesthood-Holder, the old Aaronic Priesthood was “changed”, that is, “abrogated” or “abolished” (Hebrews 7:12 – the word metathesis “implies not merely change but abrogation” [according to F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, page 164]).  It says that even the commandment that authorized the Aaronic Priesthood in the first place has undergone a “disannulling of the commandment”, because the Aaronic Priesthood is “weak” and “unprofitable” (Hebrews 7:18).  This is “an end to the Levitical priesthood” (Ken Schenck, Understanding the Book of Hebrews, page 78). Why does our church say that it has the Aaronic Priesthood when the New Testament says that the Aaronic Priesthood is now useless and abolished?

·         Why does our church say that its members hold the Melchizedek Priesthood when the only person in scripture who is described as a Melchizedek Priesthood-Holder is Jesus the Christ?  The New Testament draws a contrast between the many Aaronic Priesthood-Holders of the Old Covenant and the one and only Melchizedek Priesthood-Holder of the New Testament (Hebrews 7:23-24).  “While the priests of old are many, the new priest is, by implication, one” (Harold Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews, page 209).  In other words, it seems as if “the author is not arguing for a new line of priests according to the order of Melchizedek since the only priest he is interested in, Christ, exhausts that line” (Alan Mitchell, Hebrews, page 150).  If all this is true, why does our church say that its members hold the Melchizedek Priesthood? 

·         In the Old Testament, a temple was built in Jerusalem as a place to worship God through prayer and sacrifice.  There was only to be one place for concentrating this kind of worship (Deuteronomy 12:13-14; 16:15-16).  Later Jewish writers in the first-century said that “as God is one, his temple should also be one” (Philo, Special Laws 1.67), that “there ought also to be but one temple for one God” (Josephus, Against Apion 2.193).  For the Jews, the one and only temple “represented the unity of God and the unity of Israel” (Shaye Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, page 101).  Jesus and Paul both build on this sort of logic (John 4:21-24; 17:11; Romans 3:30; Ephesians 4:4-6).  They seem to suppose that there can only be one true temple on the earth.  But the New Testament says that the true temple is not a building at all (John 4:21-24), but instead is Jesus Christ and his extension on earth, his body, his church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16).  Why does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call some of its buildings “temples” if the only true temple of God is the church itself?

·         Why do we have to go through interviews to prove our 'worthiness' for a temple recommend, when Jesus gives the most praise to people who say that they are sinners and unworthy servants (Luke 17:10; 18:13)? 

·         If there was a universal apostasy that totally destroyed the church of Jesus Christ for nearly two thousand years after the deaths of the apostles, then what did Jesus mean when he promised his disciples that, when he built his church through them, “the gates of Hades would not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)?  Doesn't this mean that “the church universal will never be extinguished” (Craig Blomberg, Matthew, page 254)?  Or, what does Jesus mean when he promises that he will be with his church on earth until the very end comes (Matthew 28:20), if he wasn't going to have a church on earth for most of that time?

·         If Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and if he did receive a revelation to practice plural marriage (D&C 132), why did he break God's law in how he practiced plural marriage?  For one example, several pairs of his wives – such as Emily and Eliza Partridge, and Sarah and Maria Lawrence – were pairs of sisters; but Leviticus 18:18 forbids doing this while both women are living.  For another example, a number of his wives – such as Zina D. Huntington Jacobs (wife of Henry Jacobs), Sylvia Sessions Lyon (wife of Windsor Lyon), Sarah Kingsley Cleveland (wife of John Cleveland), Ruth Vose Sayers (wife of Edward Sayers), and others – were already married, which means that Joseph's involvement with them looks identical to adultery (forbidden in Leviticus 18:20) and also contrary to Joseph's own requirement that only virgins be taken as plural wives (D&C 132:61)  For another example, two of his wives – Patty Bartlett Sessions and Sylvia Portion Sessions Lyon – were a mother-and-daughter pair; but Leviticus 20:14 says that “if a man marries both a woman and her daughter, it is wickedness”, and the Old Testament punishment for that crime was to “be burned in fire”.  Why would Joseph practice plural marriage in a way that would make him guilty of such a serious sin? 

·         If the Doctrine and Covenants is correct in saying that David and Solomon did not sin in practicing plural marriage (D&C 132:38-39), why does the Book of Mormon saying that them having “many wives and concubines” was “abominable before me, saith the Lord” (Jacob 2:24)? 

·         Why does the revelation on plural marriage mention that Isaac was justified when he took “many wives and concubines” (D&C 132:1) when the Bible describes him as having only had one wife, Rebekah (Genesis 24:67)? 

·         Jesus lived on earth during a time when the Jews were debating whether plural marriage was really acceptable or not.  Some Jews favored it, others argued against it.  If plural marriage is what God planned for marriage to be, why didn't Jesus ever say so?  Why, when he argued for his vision of marriage in Matthew 19:4-5, did Jesus use and expand the Jewish argument against plural marriage (David Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, page 140)? 

·         Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Abraham (now included in the Pearl of Great Price) was a translation from Egyptian papyri he had bought that were literally “the writings of Abraham”. The heading to the book still claims it to be “the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus”.  But when the papyri were rediscovered, it was discovered that they date to around the earthly lifetime of Jesus (not the lifetime of Abraham), and that their actual translation (see, for instance, Ronald K. Ritner's translation in The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition) has no connection with the contents of the Book of Abraham.  If Joseph was empowered by God to translate ancient scripture into English, why did he claim that the Book of Abraham was a translation of Egyptian documents that actually turned out to be common funerary papyri? 

·         Joseph Smith also attempted to translate characters on six small plates found and brought to him in 1843, and Joseph told his private secretary that he had “translated a portion” and that “they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (William Clayton, journal entry for 1 May 1843). Later on, one of the discoverers confessed to having forged these Kinderhook plates to trick Joseph.  When one of the original plates was rediscovered in the twentieth century, tests conclusively proved that they had been created in modern times.  Why did Joseph claim to be able to translate characters that were just meaningless symbols on forged plates?  If Joseph's 'translations' cannot be trusted with these plates, how can we trust that the Book of Mormon isn't a similar creative exercise without a basis in actual ancient records? 

·         If we sustain President Thomas S. Monson as a “prophet, seer, and revelator”, and if we sustain his counselors and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as the same thing, then why don't any of the fifteen ever report actual prophecies, visions, or revelations for the church as a whole? 

·         Given that language of 'meriting' or 'earning' God's blessings (salvation, exaltation, etc.) is almost non-existent in the New Testament, why does it show up so frequently in talks by General Authorities?  Or, if the concepts of 'meriting' and 'earning' are so crucial, why are they basically absent from the New Testament? 

·         If the Book of Mormon teaches us that we only receive the saving grace of God “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23), and if it tells us that 'all we can do' includes keeping every one of God's commandments perfectly (1 Nephi 3:7), and if repentance is cancelled out whenever a sin is repeated (D&C 82:7), what hope is there?  Wouldn't it be more 'good news' if, like other churches teach, we are given celestial hope – and motivation to works (Ephesians 2:10) just by trusting Jesus and his atonement to take care of everything, “not of works” (Ephesians 2:9), as an act of pure grace from God, since “if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace” (Romans 11:6)?  

ke7ejx.

Mother's Day

To all the mothers that read this, welcome! I thank you, I salute you and I definitely respect you. It takes a lot to be a mother. I'm not one myself, but I've watched my own mother through the years and have seen the many sleepless nights, tear soaked shirts and sacrifices that came with it. So with that in mind, Happy Mother's Day!

How many of us know our mothers? Do we have a relationship with her? Do we truly appreciate her and treat her with the utmost respect that she so richly deserves?

Honestly, I wish I could answer "Yes, of course! All the time!" But if I did, the Lord better strike me with the biggest lightning bolt He has, because I'd be lying through my teeth. Like many of us, I was the bratty teenager that spoke and treated my mother like she was the dog instead of the woman that gave birth and raised me. That acted in ways that really should have gotten me slapped. Now, that I am older, I have gained a fuller appreciation for my mother, not just in her role, but as a person. As a beloved daughter of God. I also treasure the things she taught me. She has taught me a love for God and family. To have charity for others.

President Gordon B. Hinckley once said: "How much more beautiful would be the world and the society in which we live if every mother regarded her children as the jewels of her life, as gifts from the God of Heaven, who is their Eternal Father, and brought them up in true affection in wisdom and admonition of the Lord." 

Almost every mother I've ever spoken to has told me that her children are her most prized possessions, that they are the joys of her life. My mother included. It's a wonderful feeling, knowing that the most important person in your life loves you more than herself. That she would do anything for you. That's a feeling I hope my children will one day feel. Knowing that their mother loves them with every fiber of her being. If my children could feel that and become the best they can be, my life would be worth everything.

President Thomas S. Monson said this: "May each of us remember this truth; 'one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God.' Why? Because  these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one."

I love this quote because it speaks of the sacredness of women and motherhood. That women are divine. I can see that.

And then we often have surrogate mothers. The ones that are not our mothers in the biblical sense, but still treat us like we're one of her own. She encourages us, spoils us, gives us a "come to Jesus" talk when needed and never gives up or stops loving us... anyone who has such a woman in their lives is blessed beyond measure. My surrogate mother has been one of my greatest influences. She may not know it, but she has helped me through many storms with just the knowledge of her being a mere phone call away. Like my own mother, I have come to rely on her counsel, her opinion and especially her actions, and these help to mold the character I have today. Because I have at least two amazing women in my life.

I would of course be remiss if I didn't also dedicate today to the aunts in our lives. Like many, I have a few aunts hanging at my end of the family tree. All different, all wonderful. The aunts I have been blessed with have all touched my life in the best of ways. They have taught me about beauty, confidence and the importance of being myself. I don't know how my life would have shaped if I didn't have close relationships I have with them.

There is a poem that I see circulate the web once in awhile that has always made me think of my aunts with a grin:

Only an Aunt....

Can give hugs like a mother,

Keep secrets like a sister, 

And share love like a friend.

That's an aunt in a nutshell, wouldn't you say?

And then you have the grandmothers.These wise women that help raise us and teach us important things about life. My grandmother, Gwen taught me to read and introduced me to Opera and Classical music. She inspired me in learning music and drawing. Sadly, she died when I was very young, but her memory is still there. I have two other fantastic grandmothers that have taught me about humility, compassion and patience. It's still easier said than done for me, but they haven't given up on me yet.

I'll admit that I don't know much about motherhood, there's a lot to child-raising that I don't understand. But I do understand this much; it is a sacred responsibility that should be treated with respect and care. Respect your mothers, my dear readers. It takes a lot of time and energy to raise a person right. It's because of my mother that I do my best and I treat people like the Savior tells us to. Because I would never want to cause negative reflection on my goodly mother.

Happy Mother's Day, mothers. Thank you for your sacrifices and your raising of these precious spirits of God. You are blessed to have the opportunity. God be with you. Christ be with you.


ke7ejx.

Autumn Pleasures

I love Autumn...

I love the colours of the leaves as they turn from green to reds and yellows and browns.

I love the fresh crisp air when I go on morning walks.

I love the smell of burning wood that comes from the chimneys of homes near me.

I love being able to wear my favourite sweaters and be perfectly warm.

I love the seasonal recipes filled with warmth and safety.

I love the sound of the wind singing at night.

I love sinking into a hot bath after a long walk.

I love raking the fallen leaves into a huge pile and falling back into it like I did as a child.

These are the simple pleasures that I enjoy every year. The things that make each Autumn precious to me. I'll admit that I tend to busy myself with the less important things and forget the more meaningful. I believe there's a cliché that states we should stop to smell the roses. Easier said than done in today's day and age. We are all so busy with our everyday lives that we forget to slow down and enjoy things, most especially the little and simplistic things.

Maybe it's time to change that. These are uncertain times for the world and we never know what lies ahead. We also never know when we will be in our final day, and I know this also sounds cliché, but we must make the most of it. Let's all slow down a bit and enjoy the simple things.

Here's a small writing titled 'Brief Pleasures' for your reading pleasures:

• Splitting a hunk of cedar into perfect fragrant strips of kindling on a crisp autumn day and stacking it in neat piles.
• A sudden overwhelming awareness of the goodness of another person.
• Looking up a word in the dictionary and getting sidetracked by another word. In 1932 Webster's, in the list of New Words, one finds flivverboob: driver of a flivver.
• The sound made by a tennis ball when it smacks the sweet spot.
• Making a delicious and nutritious dinner that costs next to nothing.
• A cool hand on a fevered brow.
• The smell of wood smoke in my hair and clothes after and evening with friends around a beach fire.
• The lightness you feel after a long, snowy winter when you get up one morning and you don't have to put on long underwear.
• Being asked just the right question by a friend who knows what it is you really want to talk about and opens the way for you.
• Fanning out a bridge hand, finding it full of faces and aces and smiling inside while keeping a straight face.
• The momentary ruby flash of a hovering sunlit humming bird against green trees after a spring rain.
• Having the whole family in one bed on a Sunday morning.
• Climbing into cold sheets after a hot bath.
• The smell of dusty sidewalks after a spring rain, carrying so many exciting aromas I can imagine for a moment what it must be like to have a dog's nose.
• The first ride from the airport in a taxi in a strange city halfway around the world late in the evening.
• Peeling the wax off a round of cheese.

~ Autumn section from Simple Pleasures: Soothing Suggestions and Small Comforts for Living Well Year Round

Here's to a happy Autumn. Have fun with family and friend. And keep the pumpkin pie coming until you can't look at it until next Autumn!

ke7ejx.

Ode to Our Spiritual Seas

I'm on vacation at the coast but am unable to attend church, so I was able to enjoy the blessings of going to www.byutv.org and watch a worship service. The speakers gave sermons on enduring to the end and using our spiritual gifts. It's wonderful to feel the spirit and worship my Creator, even when I am not in the loving arms of my ward family.

 As I listen to the talks I look out the window at the sea and I feel a sense of awe and humility. John Keats, the English poets once penned; “Oh, ye! who have your eyeballs vexed and tired, feast them upon the wideness of the Sea!” I agree with him on this. The sea is wide and deep, just like the everlasting gospel. There are many depths that the teaching can take us, so long as we are willing to take the plunge and when we immerse ourselves, our eyes feast and the banquet is fulfilling.

I love how soothing it is to watch the waves and hear the low roar that the water utters. I like the deceiving calmness that belies what lies under the surface; the beautiful, the strange, the enticing, and the lethal.... kind of reminds you of life, doesn't it? We are naturally drawn to beauty, and repulsed by ugliness.. and Satan knows this. This is why he likes to draw us close to him and is able to do things. Eve was lured to the apple first and foremost, because it looked tantalizing and delicious, and one thing lead to another and we know what happened from there. The same things happened to Mary Magdalene and Judas and Paul.....Satan tricked them into believing the things they did were acceptable, even praiseworthy...but I think we can say “April Fools!” But it's also a sign of God's grace, because he can save us from the underlying dangers and the currents that can carry us until we are lost forever. We just have to cling onto Him and know that His forgiveness and love will be there through every storm.

Anyway those are my thoughts on the spiritual side. The sea air is refreshing and while I ponder the mysteries of the Creator and what lessons can be taught, I can enjoy the fact that I can relax and watch the shows and catch the occasional whale and boat.

 

While I look out on the horizon, a favourite poem plays through my mind and I'll conclude my post with it for your reading pleasure:

HERE

Surrounding the island

There's sea.

But what sea?

It's always overflowing.

Says yes,

Then no,

Then no again,

And no,

Says yes

In blue

In sea spray

 Raging

Says no

And no again.

It can't be still.

It stammers

My name is sea.

It slaps the rocks

And when they aren't convinced,

Strokes them

And soaks them

And smothers them with kisses.

With seven green tongues

Of seven green dogs

Or seven green tigers

Or seven green seas,

Beating its chest,

Stammering its name,

Oh Sea,

This is your name.

Oh comrade ocean,

Don't waste time

Or water

Getting so upset

Help us instead.

We are meager fishermen,

Men from the shore

Who are hungry and cold

And you're our foe.

Don't beat so hard,

Don't shout so loud,

Open your green coffers,

Place gifts of silver in our hands.

Give us this day our daily fish.

~ Ode to the Sea

ke7ejx. 

Education Reform and a Major Digress into Politics

For today's post I'm going to swerve out of spiritual and into political for a moment. Normally I don't do this and will unlikely do so again. But, JB (see my Personal Challenge post) posted the following on his Facebook page concerning Mitt Romney's plan for Education Reform, which is near and dear to my heart as a future Oregon teacher. I wrote a response which according to OpenOffice.org is over a page long which is far too long for Facebook's limits, so I am posting it here. His dissertation is called White Paper: A Chance For Every Child . Bon Appetite!

I think it has merit. I like that he plans to give more power and recognition to the teachers, because those teachers really work their backsides off. I was getting classroom experience as part of my degree program in Secondary Ed. and I was staying in the classroom with my mentoring teacher until late at night discussing problems and solution as well as grading the work that came in, often after the due dates. Thankfully, things started improving until 80% of our students passed with a D or higher.

I also agree that funds need to go back to the classrooms. It's amazing to see the administrators turn down requests from teachers that would help all the students, especially the minority students. It was usually turned down because it's "economically prohibitive". And if that's just happening in places other than my district, it's no wonder American education is going down the pot. If the teachers are not able to reach to every student, that teacher will fail.

I had to smile at Bro. Romney's words on page 9 when he said "In defense of the failed system, unions spend hundreds of millions of dollars to curry the favor of political leaders." That sounds about right. I understand the need for unions, but they're becoming more of a hindrance than a help anymore. Maybe it's time to get rid of them, reform them...I don't know. But they're definitely more interested in the interests of the leaders of the unions and where they stand in the country than taking care of the teachers.

I especially liked his proposal of keeping every school open to cater to any student that wishes to study there, instead of trapping the students in schools that do nothing about their failures because of where they live and how many students are suppose to be in each institution. By giving the parents and child(ren) a choice and to be more proactive in their education with prepare them in the long run for college and every other factor in their lives.

And then there are colleges. Most of my classmates have taken out thousands in college loans and by graduation, they're sweating bullets because now they have to start paying the loans back...and with today's job economy, that's a problem. And tuition just gets higher and higher. If Mitt Romney is able to  to tackle this problem and make college achievable, not to mention finish able, he'll have my vote without question in the next election.

As I looked through his reform proposals, I really cannot help but be impressed with his vision. He plans to give power back to parents and their students, by keeping everyone involved, and able to make a more informed decision in order to give these students the best education that they so richly deserve. And not just the average students, but the student that have what we like to call “special needs”, they're even going to have a stake in education improvement. I applaud this part of the plan because it puts the ball in the parent's court, which is where it belongs in the first place!


The bottom line is this: less spending on the stuff that doesn't matter, keeping the parents involved, making education much more affordable, and maintaining a high standard that will reproduce success.

Because let's face it, we're a first world country, but we have a third world education. Our students are behind most European countries due to the lack of proper education and eventually it will kill our country's foundation when the younger generations don't have the tools to succeed in life.

I'm a Mormon

Most of my LDS readers know of the 'I'm A Mormon' campaign. I heard of it last summer and watched some of the videos and I found it rather touching to read and see the testimonies of fellow believers. In my YSA branch we were all encouraged to make our own Ad. Here's mine: I Am A Mormon

For my Non-LDS readers who haven't heard of this campaign, I would strongly encourage you to check these out. Even if you don't agree with our beliefs, I think you'll learn many things and feel inspired to look at your beliefs. It is an amazing opportunity to share your beliefs with others and it makes you grow as a disciple of Christ, no matter what religion you belong to. So, go ahead, give it a look. Feel free to post questions, comments and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

God be with you. Christ be with you.


ke7ejx.