Runny sneezy nose today.
Elisha had a servant that couldn't believe that after the captain from Persia/Syria was healed by dipping himself in the dirty Jordan river 7 times, that none of the riches would remain. Elijah required no payment for the Lord's gift. He chased after the healed captain and only asked for 5 talents of silver and 2 changes of garments for Elisha's returning son. Elisha faced him upon his return and asked what he had done. The servant then received the leprosy.(Gehazi)
At the bottom of the page it said that the servant had a worse disease than leprosy. No kidding? I abhor leprosy. I have used Head and Shoulders for years to keep the dandruff away. A peeling rotting skin disease sounds about as unendurable and tortuous as anything I can think of. No thank you!
"Ghazi had a far worse disease than leprosy. Elder MJ Ashton taught: 'It is a sin to lie. It is a tragedy to be the victim of lies. Being trapped in the snares of dishonesty and misrepresentation does not happen instantaneously. One little lie or dishonest act leads to another until the perpetrator is caught in the web of deceit. ' "p 346 The Old Testament for Latter-day Saint Families
This has been bugging me for a couple of days. And I am in disagreement. One can repent of lies. One can't repent of leprosy. Now I can set it to rest I hope. Perhaps the editors wanted little children to be taught that lesson. But I still disagree. You tell the truth when you are with people you trust. You don't speak when you are with people you don't trust. If you must speak to people intent on doing you harm you hedge or lie because the consequences are unfair. I remember being yelled at and smacked in the side of the head while standing on a chair at the counter with my brother Brent'57. Dad knew he could beat the truth out of us. I had committed the offense. I imagine we were ~7 and 5. I never confessed. Neither did Brent. Dad eventually pinned it on Brent and he got the beating. Why didn't I tell the truth? The answer is obvious. It wasn't safe. How much could I trust my parents. It varied. Did lightning and thunder fall from heaven unexpectedly? Over and over. We were seldom safe with Mom or Dad. But Mom was weaker and had a harder time beating us. Coercion lost its potency with her earlier than dad.
So do children tell kidnappers where they live? Do we give people we don't know our SS number? How about our bank accounts? As you can tell this has been an issue with me for decades. Personally I like the vlog brothers scientific take on lying found on Youtube. Hank explains. I felt relief seeing this. [youtube.com/watch?v=MX3Hu8loXTE]
1:04p
Gratitude
"In writing of repentance, President Boyd K. Packer said: “In the universal battle for human souls, the adversary takes enormous numbers of prisoners. Many, knowing of no way to escape, are pressed into his service. Every soul confined in a concentration camp of sin and guilt has a key to the gate. The key is labeled Repentance. The adversary cannot hold them, if they know how to use it. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of the tempter” ( The Things of the Soul [1996], 114)."
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Here's the letter I just wrote my new home teachee as of last month.
big screen
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2:06 PM (1 minute ago)
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Friday afternoon.
Hello Bruce,
Thanks for telling me you enjoyed the marinated beans (I have more) and the awesome/strange book Visions of Glory. Like I mentioned Jerry Buys believed it and loved it up to page 69 and affirmed it was like his experiences. Carl Hardman loves 2nd coming stuff so he liked the whole thing. Jerry thought the author John Pontius got way too literary adventurous at that point. My therapist, Mark Clayton to whom I gave a copy said it was great as a fantasy novel. But he got a bit indignant when the author tried to convince him that it was for real.
Anyway, you pointed to your big screen when we visited you and seemed to complain it sucked up too much of your time. But if you are like me, sometimes you don't feel very good or your are not motivated to do anything. That is when this magical suggestion will make you productive and uplifted even when you are sick!
Are you ready?
On lds.org we can listen or watch every conference talk since 1971 for free!
I have had a most distressing life. But I trust the apostles.
I started buying cassette tapes of conferences to listen to in the car or when I painted houses in the summer. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone read to you while you worked? That's what I thought! So by listening over and over again I learned more and more. When cassette tapes went out of style they switched to CDs. Now I don't have to buy a thing. Free access to 43 years of General Conference talks.
Last year upon retirement/firement I was depressed. How could I use my time to help build the kingdom of God on the earth? I discovered these General Conferences and began listening. After a couple of months I remembered the scripture, First seek to obtain my word. . . and I thought, look at me, I am obtaining his word.
Then in the future if I am ever needed to preach his word I will be ready.
But I don't listen just to pass the time. I listen to be spiritually uplifted. Sometimes I listen 2 or 3 or more times because it is still delicious to me. Sometimes I am tired and I fall asleep so I get to listen again. Some voices grate on my nerves so I turn down the volume. Sometimes I working and moving around and I want to be able to hear it so I carry a speaker to that room, or the bathtub. You get the idea. I have been working on this challenge to listen to all of them for over a year and I still have 2 years left to go.
Conference started being a thrill for me when I was living the gospel well enough that I didn't feel guilty. But rather if they give a talk on something I already know and do I just sit back and enjoy it as praise and I learn even more deeply why it is good to be obedient to that commandment.
So, like I said, I have trust issues. Who can I trust? Not very many. In fact these are the only men in the world I trust with my heart and soul.
My next door neighbor, Bill Young, a descendant of Brigham Young, drinks and smokes and believes the leaders of our church are doing it for the money. He thinks that it is good business!
Over and Over I hear things where I think, Oh, I wish I could share this with him.
My youngest son Michael is working in SLC at the downtown Walmart and will turn 22 next month. He has always been extremely shy. I keep hoping HF is preparing him to serve a mission but he stopped attending church 19 months ago. To start with he was putting his tithing in a separate account but since he stopped attending I am not sure what he is doing. He is bright and tall and handsome and hairy. He was a wonderful son growing up. Walmart was his first job in Provo and then he transferred to Salt Lake to room with a friend, Jesse Schaum who has since begun smoking. They are not roomates anymore and Michael did not pick up smoking like his friend, thank heavens, but how can you progress when you don't attend church? I have been so worried about him for the last year.
As I listen to conferences I hear things that I hope he will remember and accept. Starting January I started giving him monthly home work assignments to listen to two talks a month that I chose. I am hoping that listening to the ones I choose will motivate him to listen to whatever ones he chooses.
So far, no results. Just praying and hoping and sharing.
I told him a year ago I could afford to pay for his mission so he didn't need to fret about its finances. But the adversary already had him hooked working Sundays.
Wow, I wrote a lot. I got carried away didn't I? Well all that was to introduce you to the idea of listening to GC talks.
In my next email I will send you the steps for listening or watching.
Caring about you,
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