Hope you have a good day!

I really enjoy this song which is the theme song for the youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this year. It is so full of hope and faith. I hope you enjoy it.

If you need more than just a cheerful song, then check out these resources.

Mental Health Resources 

What I'm Doing to Help with the Pandemic

It feels good to know that I'm doing more to help with the covid-19 pandemic besides just staying in my home. Today when I saw this report on some of the things my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is doing to help give supplies to those who need it around the world, it made me feel good.  I realized that I don't have to be one of the people out there on the front lines fighting the pandemic to help. Since I donate to this organization, I am part of all the help that is being given.

Here are some of the things I'm helping with.  People in Utah are making 5 million clinical face masks to donate to health care workers.  Also, many Church facilities which make religious clothing have now shifted to making masks and gowns to give to medical workers. Hygiene supplies, food, medical equipment, and other items have been sent around the world to places where they are needed. 

Facing Mortality

This month we faced the prospect of my husband having a serious form of cancer. It made me appreciate him and the time we have here on earth even more. It also made me realize that we can feel peace no matter what happens in our lives. The emotion we did not feel was a fear of death. So much of the world lives in fear of dying, but the Gospel helps us to know that our lives do not end at death. We are assured that we will have our bodies back, whole and immortal, and that we can continue our family relationships. 

We are grateful to have been blessed with more time together. We are thankful for the  hope we have because of the atonement our Savior provided for us. 

(picture taken after he had had several precancerous spots burned off)

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

12 And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

2 Nephi 9:10-12

How can you have a lasting marriage?

A friend and I were discussing how marriage has changed since we were  married in the 1960's and early 1970's. There has been some good changes in marriage. On the whole, women are better educated, trained, and paid. Consequently, they have been empowered to demand to be treated with greater respect and to have more assistance from the rest of the family with house responsibilities. Another consequences of women now being able to provide adequately for themselves and their children is that many are divorcing their husbands. 

I saw this same situation several years ago when we sponsored a Cambodian refugee family who fled to the United States. Women had no rights in their country. Men owned them and could, with family assistance, drag a fleeing wife home and beat her into submission. When these wives found that they could earn a good living themselves and that the police here would protect them from their husband, many divorced their husbands.

Should churches stay out of politics?

I've heard many strident voices declare that churches should stay out of politics. They claim that they are enforcing the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. They interpret this amendment to mean  that churches should be completely separate from government and therefore have no voice in anything which concerns the governing of the people. 

I am surprised by this position, for this is not what the First Amendment states. Here is the wording of the amendment:   "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."  .  (go here good article on the First Amendment)
The First Amendment addressed the concerns of our founding fathers in protecting against a Church/State being set up in the United States as they had seen in Europe where Church leaders also had control over the government. State churches had great power to control the lives of the people even to the point of requiring the populace to only be members of that faith. They also had the power to inflict punishments on those who did not obey their church law. The framers of the Constitution sought to protect our freedoms by adding this First Amendment to our Bill of Rights. 

How does God answer prayers?

After watching this video last night, I've been thinking about how we need to learn how to hear God's answers to our prayers. When I was young, I used to expect some voice to just tell me what to do, or magically all my problems would just be solved without any effort on my part. When that didn't happen, I thought my prayers weren't being answered, but I was wrong. It took decades of painful struggling for me to finally recognize all the personal help the Lord had, and was, giving me.

The Million Dollar Question

My husband dislikes the "million dollar question". It usually comes up when I have requested that something be done to improve our home. He, a builder, authoritatively declares, "IT CAN'T BE DONE!!"  As a undauntable idealist who has complete faith in the achieve-ability of good goals, I calmly question, "If someone offered you a million dollars to do this, could you?" After a slight pause, he concedes, "Yes". I respond that it is then not a matter of impossibility, but of motivation, and I am motivated.  After that, we work together to achieve the goal. Actually, now after being married to me for 46 years, my husband knows that if I say something can be done-- it can. He skips the fight phase and simply goes straight into "working it out" mode.

Is it hard to live the commandments of God?

A lot of people seem to think that it is much easier to not live the commandments of God, than it is to live them. In the immediate moment, I definitely agree. It is always easier to "go with the flow", at least it is until you hit the rapids, or plunge down the waterfall. But, let's face it, who doesn't have rapids and even waterfalls in their life? Who would travel down a dangerous river completely ignoring the guidance of the seasoned guide? 

Should churches be allowed to not perform gay marriages?

I have been reading about all sorts of conflicts between religious freedom claims and civil rights claims; between personal beliefs and individual needs; between conservative religious groups and LGBT rights activists; between employer's religious beliefs and employee's health needs; between religious groups' right to allow only people of their faith in their group or to adopt children from their faith's agency, and minority groups' rights; between the rights of landlords, bosses, and owners of public facilities such as restaurants and businesses, and the rights of minorities who have different needs; between the right for women in women's shelters and in public bathrooms to feel safe, and the rights of transgender individuals; and about the debate between the common good verses inalienable human rights. 

Questions and Answers about Polygamy

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2017-11-0140-mormon-polygamy-q-and-a?category=church-history-topics&lang=eng

In connection with the publication of the first volume of the new history, Saints - The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several videos have been made dealing with Church History. In this video, two historians answer questions about polygamy.

What Does God Think of Us?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-01-001-abide-with-me?lang=eng

Who hasn't experienced a child who has the "gimmies". This child never has enough, doesn't appreciate what she has, and never even says, "thank you". She works on her never ending Christmas list year round. Though she doesn't even know what she has in her vast hoard, she is sure that she must possess more than anyone else has-- far more! 

How about the youth who packs up his car with all he can lay his hands on from home, then heads out to be on his own, ignoring his parents --until he needs help. Then after disregarding all his parent's advice and counsel, he expects them to come running to bail him out. Arrogantly, he expects his parents to always be there for him, endlessly supplying his all wants. If ever they refuse to indulge him, he poutingly declares, "You don't love me". 

What Happens When We Die?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-08-1080-what-happens-after-we-die?category=mormon-beliefs&lang=eng

When I wrote about being happy to have another birthday, I said that I wasn't afraid of dying. I thought I should explain why I said that.

I think most people are afraid of dying because they don't know what will happen to them. Some people think they will just cease to exist. Many people envision their spirit continuing in a place where there is not any suffering or pain, but where they will be single without their family. Though they have hoped and promised in this life that "their love will continue forever", they aren't sure it will.

What does happen after you die? Will you really cease to exist? Will you lose your body and be just be a spirit forever? Will your marriage and family be gone?  

How Do You Find Happiness?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-06-01-we-can-find-happiness?lang=eng

I'm always surprised when people give me sympathy. By this time you wouldn't think that I would be surprised since I've been ill for over 45 years. When I tell them that I can't eat wheat or dairy, must avoid petrochemicals (plastics, perfumes, polyester etc. . . . ), and often have little energy, their eyes grow round, then they blurt out that "They couldn't live that way!" They actually seem to have a hard time believing that I could really be happy.

Should Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Try to Convert People?

Go Ye Therefore (Go Ye Therefore, and Teach All Nations), by Harry Anderson      Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:14–20

If you believe that churches are just groups of people who agree on how they see God and how they interpret the scriptures, then I would say that it would be arrogant to try to convert others to your way of thinking. Since the religious revivals in the early 1800's when Protestant preachers strove to win people over to their sect, there has even been an unspoken agreement that Christians should confine their proselyting efforts to the "heathen" nations.

Now, let's look at another perspective from another time. When our Savior ministered on the earth, He set up an organization to help the early converts to Christianity maintain their faith and serve each other. He gave power to teach, heal, and lead to his twelve Apostles. The Lord did not

Why Does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Send Out Missionaries?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-02-2000-mormon-missionaries?category=missionary/introduction-to-mormons&lang=eng

I've heard that some people say that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints send their young men out on missions because it is a "rite of passage". Obviously, they haven't been around many young men. I've not yet met any young man who would give up his job, car, music, cell phone, and laptop, leave his girlfriend, and postpone his college plans, so he could travel to a strange place where he would have doors slammed in his face all day, just for a "rite of passage". 

Did Joseph Smith Start The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/jesus-christs-church

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, find that an odd question. It is like asking if Moses made up the Ten Commandments. Moses was a prophet. Prophets listen to what God has to say, then they teach it to the people. They have the assignment to help the rest of us learn how to be happy and know what we need to do to return to our Heavenly Father someday. 

Aware of our weaknesses, God has always used Prophets to help us learn and grow. The Old Testament contains the record of God's dealings with man through His prophets. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ set up His Church, gave His Apostles priesthood authority, and designated Peter to be the prophet who would continue to receive revelation for His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Early-day Saints (saints just means a church member). (see Peter receiving revelation to take Gospel to Gentiles)

What is The Book of Mormon?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-00-1010-what-is-the-book-of-mormon-a-60-second-overview?category=mormon-beliefs&lang=eng

A friend of mine asked, "If there is the Old Testament and the New Testament, where does the Book of Mormon fall into this group, or does it not?"

Yes, the Book of Mormon is one with the Old Testament and the New Testament. Throughout time, God has given revelation, light and knowledge, to those who would listen. His revelations and the history of the people He gave them to are recorded in books we call scripture. The Old Testament and New Testament record God's dealings with the Israelite people who lived in the Jerusalem area. 

Before Nebuchadnezzar took over the land of Israel, God sent many prophets to warn the people to repent, so He could protect them and save them from being conquered. The people killed many of these prophets, but one, Lehi, was told to take his family and flee. Eventually, Lehi, his family, and another family made it to the "Promised Land", the Americas around 600 BC. The Book of Mormon is the history of this branch of Israel. 

Were the People in Old Testament Times Primitive?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/moses-gives-aaron-priesthood-39465?lang=eng

I shared with a Jewish friend that I was studying about the ancient Tabernacle and the Mosaic Law (the laws and rules that were given to Moses to guide the Israelite people he brought out of Egypt). I think she was surprised that a Christian would be doing this, because she asked me why I was doing this studying. The simple answer would be that every four years the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints study the Old Testament in our Sunday School classes. Sure that got me started, but I wanted to study more on my own, so I am reading the Church college course Old Testament Manual. I've really been enjoying it and learning a lot.

I know that statement probably surprises some people. Many people, especially Christians, consider the Mosaic Law as a mere law of retribution, of an "eye for an eye". They see the Gospel, a law of love, as

Why Do Some People Not Consider Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christians?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-01-02-the-only-true-god-and-jesus-christ-whom-he-has-sent?category=topics/jesus-christ&lang=eng

A Jewish friend told me that she thought it was strange that some Christians do not consider members of our church Christian. This is my response to her.

Yes, it is strange that many do not consider us Christians especially since our name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint. We follow the original "Christian" beliefs. We believe that there is one God of this world -- Jesus Christ. He created the world and reveled his teachings to righteous people-- Adam, Noah, Abraham and the other prophets, that He came to teach people how to live and died for our sins, and that he will come again someday in glory. He did all these things under the direction of His Father. We believe that these teachings (the Gospel) were restored in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 

We are not Protestants. We are not protesting against the Catholic church leaders. We believe in direct personal revelation from God and that He leads His Church-- not men. Many Christians do not consider these beliefs "Christian". Many view the people of Moses time as "primitive" and the Gospel teachings of love were only known when Christ preached them during his ministry. The consider the God of the Old Testament as different from Christ in the New Testament. 

Do Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Believe Jesus is the God of the Old Testament?

We believe in the original teachings of The Lord Jesus Christ which He taught when He set up His Church when He lived upon the earth. The is why we are called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We do not follow the opinions of men that eventually replaced some of the Lord's teachings.

We believe that Jesus Christ was the Jehovah of the Old Testament and it was He who said:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.  Exodus 6:3
and                             
26 . . . ... all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.  Isaiah 49:26  https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/category/teachings-bible-images?lang=eng