9:24pm
Hello again. Last week I printed off a big list of 130 books Andre Norton wrote so I could include it in Srandon's letter today. I did not include it. He didn't even mention Andre Norton's books which should have arrived last Thursday. The best part of this letter I sent him in my opinion is my documenting of the ride home from 8:45-10:00p on my bike in the remains of the Thunderstorm/cloudburst that night. It was Tuesday night and I had to vacate one room for the YW's group coming in to work/learn/be taught about family history and what is available. The other two rooms had YM's groups in them. The young men in the main room right in front of the main desk were a bit wild. Twirling in the cool swivel chairs and peaking through the horizontal blinds to see how the storm was progressing and the water fall enlarging as it came off the hill, expressing excitement with each thunderclap and trying to convince their leaders to drive around the back of the building so they could see the waterfall with the truck/car headlights, were all diversions from their assigned purpose/work. Elder Carlson, a white haired missionary with 12 kids and 50+ grandkids, walked behind me and leaned over and whispered in my ear, Instead of frowning at them you should join them. I really had to think about that. Was I really frowning. Good chance. That's what happens when you are a retired Jr High school teacher and you are worried about the blinds being stretched out of permanent form. Always responsible for the situation and environment. When we went up Angel's Landing in Zion National Park in June we had to ride the tour buses. They had the best recording telling all about the features we could see out the windows of the 2 car-trolleys. But I didn't know how far up the canyon we were going nor how long we would seated. I took charge when it got crowded and people had to stand. I offered my seat to an older oriental woman and she declined. I offered as seat across the way if the gentleman's backpack was moved to her dizzy daughter. Little did I know Angel's Landing was the next stop and I would be getting off with my friends Wayne Stott and his son Cordell. Oops. Oh well. I am used to directing student traffic and behavior.
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9:00 am Friday, August 29, 2014
"Change your attitude. By looking at a problem in a
different way, it may be possible to reduce discouragement. I have been
impressed with the pioneer story told about Zina Young. After experiencing the
death of parents, crop failure, and sickness, she was encouraged with a
spiritual experience that changed her attitude. While attempting to seek divine
help, she heard her mother’s voice: “Zina, any sailor can steer on a smooth
sea, when rocks appear, sail around them.” A prayer came quickly: “O Father in
heaven, help me to be a good sailor, that my heart shall not break on the rocks
of grief” (“Mother,” The Young Woman’s Journal, Jan. 1911, 45). It is often
difficult to change circumstances, but a positive attitude can help lift
discouragement."
Hello Srandon,
The above
quote reminded me of you. You can look at people and smile when they talk of
their life’s hardships but you can’t nod in agreement because you don’t see it
the same way they do.
Thank you
for noticing I put in 4 hours on your letter last week. As you probably also
noticed I was enjoying it and was doing it for myself as well as you. In some
hobbies/ activities/ writings we can get carried away in enjoyment.
I got a
kick out of some of your answers to questions.
1 no way
you wanted to start to list all the things you miss. That is one door you would
rather remain closed.
2 in
order for you to call any of your associates at Purgatory friends you would
have to be using a very loose definition of the word.
3 not
sure you honor or celebrate the Sabbath in any particular way.
4 you
once had some hometeachers who did a pretty good job of fulfilling their
calling to you in Oregon. (Now with your good attitude about life, did you ever
serve as a good, helpful, dependable hometeacher?)
5 you
left the college ward with little notice and they may have been stuck as far as
getting the chairs set up since you had been the only one for weeks on end.
Thank you
for smiling at my 24 colors of a rainbow from the Crayola Crayons.
I guess I
will have to get me a set of 64 like I sent you and make a bigger rainbow so
you can see sienna. You told me it wasn’t important but it is the little things
that build relationships. The things we do that we can say no one else has ever
done for each other.
As I
listened to the GCtalk that the quote came from this morning and remembered
your attitude about life I must admit my attitude has been the same. It was
hard for me to step back and start to own my feelings about negative things. Up
until then I had been a Man.
In the
quote I could relate to the way she was shown how to take on her problems. The
idea of being a sailor and guiding one’s boat around the rocks was such a rich,
fresh analogy for me.
I have a
blog I write when I want. I have kept a journal for 40 years. It is not a
diary. For the last 10 or 20 years I have just written in it on Sunday’s,
documenting HF’s hand in my life that week, and the accomplishments and
challenges I may have faced. President Kimball told us to keep journals so I
have.
Recently
in my blog results I have noticed some body is starting to read it. It keeps
track of how many times it has been clicked on and possibly read. After the
conflict with Amity, daughter-in-law, about it last month maybe my family is
checking on me a little more. That would be nice. One of my recent blogs was
read 19 times. I think it was the one about Andre Norton the 130 book author.
So seeing
all the connections I made with chapter 29 of “The Book of Mormon and the
Constitution” you probably better understand how my teaching mind is trained to
make connections. You probably also noticed that I love to talk and share what
I call are “meaningful communications”.
If you were hoping for a reduction in size of letters because now I
would have to go back and teach school, you are out of luck. : )
WE were
supposed to have a ward swim party like last year on Tuesday night, 6:30-8:00.
That was the night of another huge thunderstorm and downpour here in Saint
George. You would not believe the rocks and sand and silt that eroded off the
red hill/cliff on the North side of Saint George Boulevard and streaming/
running/ flooding through the intersections. There were up to softball size
rocks all over the road with the gravel and silt. It was quite spectacular.
Police cars were blinking, parked blocking lanes to slow people down and warn
them. I had ridden my bike to the Family History Center and spent my first day
there. I thought I would ride in the quiet time between downpours over to
Smith’s and get a gallon of milk to reward myself for such a successful day.
That way I could go home and make, make
my daily homemade ice cream. I had been out of milk over the weekend.
Halfway there I remembered I had left my money home so I had to turn around and
retrace my path through the erosion/ deposition /runoff and the storm.
We had 0.30 “ of rain that day. WE got 0.76 from the one earlier in the
month. WE are in serious drought conditions and have been praying and fasting
for moisture for the last two months. Since it is monsoon season we have almost
doubled our average waterfall for the month of August. Perhaps a little of the
blessing we need.
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OK, hello Srandon, I am
back. The above were the last TWO blogs I wrote (omitted). As you can see I have changed the
names so that no one feels exposed.
Hopefully family can read and understand who I am talking about. That is
the point. If anyone else wants to read and sort of voyer into my life, great.
They are welcome. Prego is how you say welcome in Italian which I am working on
right now.
So Srandon, I sent you two
episodes combined into one book that should have arrived last Thursday, August
21.
Beast Master and Lord of
Thunder. She picked darn good names/ titles!
These were the first two
books I have ever completely read on my computer screen and never even touched
or held in my hand. I did not like it. Sitting at my computer is not the same
as laying in bed reading.
But I couldn’t help it. I
needed to see what I had sent you. I was pleased with:
1 they were
perfectly clean. No sex. [by the way you were wondering what lurid book cover
meant- lurid
[loo r-id]
adjective
1’.
gruesome; horrible; revolting:
the lurid details of an accident.
2’.
glaringly vivid or sensational; shocking:
the lurid tales of pulp magazines.
3’.
terrible in intensity, fierce passion, or unrestraint:
lurid crimes.
4’.
lighted or shining with an unnatural, fiery glow; wildly or garishly red:
a lurid sunset.
5’.(in math that is five
prime.)
wan, pallid, or ghastly in hue; livid.
1(continued) the book
covers were too strong for me to want to read the books. But as it turned out
they were half way decent.
2 talk about variety of
environments. Awesome!
3And challenges and
twists, fantastic.
4As I analyzed the first
book as I read it was definitely galactic drama. His home, Earth, had been
destroyed; his family was gone; he had a special talent; his mind hadn’t been
broken; his childhood skills as a Navajo Indian were useful, he was on a Cowboy
type world, there was an alien spy among
them, the native population valued scars and machismo plus loyalty, the seasons
were way extreme, the climb to the mountains and living on this planet were fraught
with danger and poisonous animals, the invading race was insensitive and
advanced, there had been a previous galactic archeologist race, their tunnels
and hollowed out mountains with diverse interplanetary biomes were preserved;
pine trees and grass were honored, extravagant weapons immerged and were used,
spaceship was camouflaged and booby trapped, limited difficult communication
between him and his animals, they were wounded and bled and nearly died but
were healed; new friendships and loyalty were made, the goal of saving the
galaxy was at least temporarily obtained!. RIGHT off the top of my head that
sounds like a dang good adolescent book!
What it was missing for me
as an adult was the deep relationship interactions.
Since you don’t need much
space to write your comments and notes, (smirk) I won’t bother leaving lots of
extra space. Did you see I included a blank sheet of paper last time? Who
knows, maybe they wouldn’t let you have that either and put it with your 64
crayons, lol. Anyway, I sent you my
first all time favorite conference talk at the beginning with Elder SWKimball.
#2 and #3 are on pornography and seem redundant. So here comes #4 for me. ‘till
later, Vern
He Heals the Heavy Laden
Of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The
healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ … is available for every affliction in
mortality.
The Savior
said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Many carry
heavy burdens. Some have lost a loved one to death or care for one who is
disabled. Some have been wounded by divorce. Others yearn for an eternal
marriage. Some are caught in the grip of addictive substances or practices like
alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or pornography. Others have crippling physical or
mental impairments. Some are challenged by same-gender attraction. Some have
terrible feelings of depression or inadequacy. In one way or another, many are
heavy laden.
To each of
us our Savior gives this loving invitation:
“Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.
The
scriptures contain many accounts of the Savior’s healing the heavy laden. He
caused the blind to see; the deaf to hear; the palsied, withered, or maimed to be
restored; lepers to be cleansed; and unclean spirits to be cast out. Often we
read that the person healed of these physical ailments was “made whole” (see Matthew 14:36; 15:28; Mark 6:56; 10:52; Luke 17:19; John 5:9).
Jesus
healed many from physical diseases, but He did not withhold healing from those
who sought to be “made whole” from other ailments. Matthew writes that He
healed every sickness and every disease among the people (see Matthew 4:23; 9:35). Great
multitudes followed Him, and He “healed them all” (Matthew 12:15).
Surely these healings included those whose sicknesses were emotional, mental,
or spiritual. He healed them all.
In His
early sermon in the synagogue, Jesus read aloud from this prophecy of Isaiah:
“He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).
As Jesus declared that He was come to fulfill that prophecy, He expressly affirmed
that He would heal those with physical ailments and He would also deliver the
captive, liberate the bruised, and heal the brokenhearted.
The Gospel
of Luke contains many examples of that ministry. It tells of the time when
“great multitudes came together to hear [Jesus], and to be healed by him of
their infirmities” (Luke 5:15).
On other occasions it records that Jesus “cured many of their infirmities” (Luke 7:21)
and that He “healed them that had need of healing” (Luke 9:11).
It also describes how a great multitude of people out of Judea and Jerusalem
and the seacoast of Sidon came down to the plain “to hear him, and to be
healed” (Luke 6:17).
When the
Savior appeared to the righteous in the New World, He called for persons to
come forward who were lame or blind or had other physical ailments. He extended
the same invitation to those “that are afflicted in any manner” (3 Nephi 17:7).
“Bring them hither,” He said, “and I will heal them” (v. 7). The
Book of Mormon tells how the multitude brought forward “all them that were
afflicted in any manner” (v. 9). This
must have included persons with every kind of physical or emotional or mental
affliction, and the scripture testifies that Jesus “did heal them every one” (v. 9).
The Savior
teaches that we will have tribulation in the world, but we should “be of good
cheer” because He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33).
His Atonement reaches and is powerful enough not only to pay the price for sin
but also to heal every mortal affliction. The Book of Mormon teaches that “He
shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind;
and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the
pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11;
see also 2 Nephi 9:21).
He knows of
our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the good Samaritan in His parable,
when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He binds up our wounds and cares for
us (see Luke 10:34).
Brothers and sisters, the healing power of His Atonement is for you, for us,
for all.
His
all-encompassing healing power is sought in the prayerful words of our hymn “Master,
the Tempest Is Raging”:
Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!
We can be
healed through the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Jesus gave His
Apostles power “to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 10:1;
see also Mark 3:15; Luke 9:1–2),
and they went forth “preaching the gospel, and healing every where” (Luke 9:6;
see also Mark 6:13; Acts 5:16).
The Seventy were also sent forth with power and direction to heal the sick (see Luke 10:9; Acts 8:6–7).
Although
the Savior could heal all whom He would heal, this is not true of those who
hold His priesthood authority. Mortal exercises of that authority are limited
by the will of Him whose priesthood it is. Consequently, we are told that some
whom the elders bless are not healed because they are “appointed unto death” (D&C 42:48).
Similarly, when the Apostle Paul sought to be healed from the “thorn in the flesh”
that buffeted him (2 Corinthians 12:7), the Lord declined to heal him. Paul later wrote that the Lord
explained, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness” (v. 9). Paul
obediently responded that he would “rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me … for when I am weak, then am I strong” (vv. 9–10).
Healing
blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to
Him who loves us best. Sometimes a “healing” cures our illness or lifts our
burden. But sometimes we are “healed” by being given strength or understanding
or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.
The people
who followed Alma were in bondage to wicked oppressors. When they prayed for
relief, the Lord told them He would deliver them eventually, but in the
meantime He would ease their burdens “that even you cannot feel them upon your
backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as
witnesses … that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24:14).
In that case the people did not have their burdens removed, but the Lord
strengthened them so that “they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they
did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (v. 15).
This same
promise and effect applies to you mothers who are widowed or divorced, to you
singles who are lonely, to you caregivers who are burdened, to you persons who
are addicted, and to all of us whatever our burden. “Come unto Christ,” the
prophet says, “and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).
At times we
may despair that our burdens are too great. When it seems that a tempest is
raging in our lives, we may feel abandoned and cry out like the disciples in
the storm, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
At such times we should remember His reply: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it
that ye have no faith?” (v. 40).
The healing
power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us
to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paul—is available for every
affliction in mortality.
After I
gave a general conference talk on the evils of pornography (see “Pornography,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2005, 87–90), I received many
letters from persons burdened with this addiction. Some of these letters were
from men who had overcome pornography. One man wrote:
“There are
several lessons I’ve gleaned from my experience coming out of the darkness of a
sin that so thoroughly dominates the lives of the people it ensnares: (1) This
is a major problem that is unbelievably difficult to overcome. … (2) The most
important source of support and strength in the repentance process is the
Savior. … (3) Intense, daily scripture study, regular temple worship, and
serious, contemplative participation in the ordinance of the sacrament are all
indispensable parts of a true repentance process. This, I assume, is because
all of these activities serve to deepen and strengthen one’s relationship with
the Savior, one’s understanding of His atoning sacrifice, and one’s faith in
His healing power” (letter dated Oct. 24, 2005).
“Come unto
me,” the Savior said, “and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). That heavy-laden man turned to the Savior, and so can each of us.
A woman
whose marriage was threatened by her husband’s addiction to pornography wrote
how she stood beside him for five pain-filled years until, as she said,
“through the gift of our precious Savior’s glorious Atonement and what He
taught me about forgiveness, [my husband] finally is free—and so am I.” As one
who needed no cleansing from sin, but only sought a loved one’s deliverance
from captivity, she wrote this advice:
“Commune
with the Lord. … He is your best friend! He knows your pain because He has felt
it for you already. He is ready to carry that burden. Trust Him enough to place
it at His feet and allow Him to carry it for you. Then you can have your
anguish replaced with His peace, in the very depths of your soul” (letter dated
Apr. 18, 2005).
A man wrote
a General Authority about how the power of the Atonement helped him with his
problem of same-gender attraction. He had been excommunicated for serious
transgressions that violated his temple covenants and his responsibilities to
his children. He had to choose whether to attempt to live the gospel or whether
to continue a course contrary to its teachings.
“I knew it
would be difficult,” he wrote, “but I didn’t realize what I would have to go
through.” His letter describes the emptiness and loneliness and the incredible
pain he experienced from deep within his soul as he sought to return. He prayed
mightily for forgiveness, sometimes for hours at a time. He was sustained by
reading the scriptures, by the companionship of a loving bishop, and by
priesthood blessings. But what finally made the difference was the help of the
Savior. He explained:
“It [was]
only through Him and His Atonement. … I now feel an overwhelming gratitude. My
pains have been almost more than I could bear at times, and yet they were so
small compared to what He suffered. Where there once was darkness in my life,
there is now love and gratitude.”
He
continues: “Some profess that change is possible and therapy is the only
answer. They are very learned on the subject and have so much to offer those
who struggle … , but I worry that they forget to involve Heavenly Father in the
process. If change is to happen, it will happen according to the will of God. I
also worry that many people focus on the causes of [same-gender attraction]. …
There is no need to determine why I have [this challenge]. I don’t know if I was
born with it, or if environmental factors contributed to it. The fact of the
matter is that I have this struggle in my life and what I do with it from this
point forward is what matters” (letter dated Mar. 25, 2006).
The persons
who wrote these letters know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the healing
it offers do much more than provide the opportunity for repentance from sins.
The Atonement also gives us the strength to endure “pains and afflictions and
temptations of every kind,” because our Savior also took upon Him “the pains
and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11).
Brothers and sisters, if your faith and prayers and the power of the priesthood
do not heal you from an affliction, the power of the Atonement will surely give
you the strength to bear the burden.
“Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” the Savior said, “and I will give
you rest … unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).
As we
struggle with the challenges of mortality, I pray for each of us, as the
prophet Mormon prayed for his son, Moroni: “May Christ lift thee up, and may
his sufferings and death, … and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of
his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever” (Moroni 9:25).
I testify
of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who invites us all to come unto Him and be
perfected in Him. He will bind up our wounds and He will heal the heavy laden.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
© 2014 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
PS. Looks like this one included some pornography applications as well. vj
So long blogger for tonight. 10:08p
