Did you know?!

 The person in the notorious Roe vs. Wade case was not named Roe at all - her name was Norma McCorvey. Jane Roe was just a pseudonym. It was her case that got taken to the Supreme Court and resulted in the legalizing of abortion.

In the 1990s, Norma McCorvey started working for Operation Rescue, against abortion. She no longer believes abortion should be legal.

Now, that's one person who we should be asking about what changed her mind. And if the person who first asked for abortion to be legalized is now against it's legalization, shouldn't we take that as a hint? I was actually very excited to find out this information.

(commentary on information from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: History's Lists)

The Lord's voice

There is a portion of the Bible where it talks about the Israelites hearing the voice of the Lord and being so frightened of it that they asked Moses to go talk to Him alone, rather than having God talk to them directly. 

Deuteronomy 5:22-25:

"...The Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
 

"And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

"And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

"Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die."

I've always thought that the Lord's voice must have been booming and frightening at that time. But when I was reading about it yesterday, the incident is cross-referenced with the following verse:

"And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn" (3 Nephi 11:3).

The Lord's voice is not loud or harsh, but it is so powerful that it does pierce, burn, and cause people to quake.

The Lord's wish

Deuteronomy 5:29 - "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"

The Lord loves us and wants to help us. But in order for us to be blessed by Him, we must live as He has commanded us. It's sort of like when a child, confused as to why his mother does not want him to climb high on the bricks, climbs higher and higher, and then falls and hurts himself, over and over again. And yet he will not heed his mother's suggestion. We tend to do what we think is best for ourselves - against the Lord's counsel - and then cry out and wonder when we find ourselves hurt again and again.

From "Managing Stress as a College Student"

"We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems. We are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious -- and all too frequently seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication. It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach your members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is a great purpose in our struggle in life."

This quote by Elder Boyd K. Packer is so awesome. It's true that if we don't feel emotionally comfortable we want to do something about it. And that's a good thing, as long as it drives us in the right direction. It is when we feel uncomfortable that we strive to live better lives. Isn't is nice to know that "some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, [and] even some failure is normal"?

A time for everything

Deuteronomy 1.

It was so interesting... As I was reading this, I picked up something about the story of Moses and Israel that I hadn't beforehand. When Moses was leading them into the promised land, the Israelites said that though the land was good, it was inhabited by peoples that they were afraid of and so they did not want to enter the land. This made the Lord "wroth" because of their lack of faith, and he vowed that they would not enter the land. Seeing the Lord's anger, the people "repented," and said they would heed the word of the Lord and go into the land.

But it was no longer the Lord's will that they go into the land. In fact, he told them not to. The time had passed. However, they did, and those that entered were smitten and killed.

It made me realize that at times, there are things that the Lord would have us do, or things that are right for us at a certain time. Yet, if we do not act at the time we are prompted or commanded, the time may pass, and it is no longer right for us to do the thing we believed to be right (and was in fact right - we just delayed too long). This was a very enlightening story - it brought to light something that I'd sensed, but never quite been able to fully grasp as an eternal truth or concept. The scriptures are amazing.

The pure love of Christ never faileth

"Around the corner from Trafalgar Square in London stands a beautiful statue of an English girl. On that statue are engraved the words, 'Brussels Dawn, 1918,' and, 'Patriotism is not enough, I must have love for all men.'"

from Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

The Sabbath

I realize that this is a touchy subject, so I'll put a disclaimer to my comments about L. Tom Perry's talk "The Sabbath and the Sacrament": these are my views on the Sabbath and its observance. If you live differently or see it differently, this does not mean that you are wrong or that I think badly about you.

Elder Perry said "Let your family be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week."

I love this quote. I have always felt that the Sabbath should be honored and set aside specially, not just by us going to church that day, but all day long. I feel that this includes dress, actions, mindsets, and activities.

Why? Well, I can give you a long list of reasons why, but it basically comes down to this: I believe that the Sabbath should be a day set aside for us to come closer to God. That being said, there are numerous ways to do that, and everyone has an opinion as to what's right and wrong in this matter. Even the Savior was reprimanded by people around Him who felt like His actions were not fit for the Sabbath when He was doing exactly as Heavenly Father - the person who created the Sabbath and assigned laws concerning it - would have Him do. Only when we are following the promptings of God and the teachings of His prophets as to what to do on the Sabbath will our actions on the Sabbath be acceptable and right.

For me, I dress nicely in "Sunday dress" (a dress or skirt with a nice top) all day long. This helps me feel that I am worshiping my Savior, and it helps me remember Him throughout the day, and that the Sabbath is His day - a day when I should be doing things to bring me closer to Him. On Sundays when I have had to dress differently for one reason or another, I have lost that reminder and oftentimes found myself drifting towards doing other activities that are not necessarily appropriate for the Sabbath.

Our actions should reflect our commitment to keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Whatever we feel to be right for that day, our actions should go along with our beliefs.

Activities? Anything that brings me closer to God I feel is appropriate. I usually strive to spend time with family, talking about religion, or reading my scriptures or the Ensign, listening to talks, praying, journaling, following promptings. I avoid doing things that would detract or distract me from coming closer to my Father in Heaven.

My personal view of working on the Sabbath is as follows: there are times when it is needed or necessary, but only specific types of work fall into that category. Even the Lord healed on the Sabbath (something our doctors and nurses in hospitals do as well). In my life, I have found that when it was requisite to work on Sunday (like helping people in a resident hall as a resident assistant) that I did my best to focus on the Savior and his work during those times, and consecrated all the money I earned on that day to Him. Whatever I earned on Sunday, I gave to the Lord in the form of fast offerings or something else. Working on the Sabbath should only be done when it is what the Lord would have us do.

I am so grateful that the Lord gave us the Sabbath Day to rest from our labors and to recuperate - not only physically but spiritually as well. It is a day where we receive the spiritual nourishment and power that helps us get through the week in all that we have to deal with and face. Of course we are able to do things throughout the week to keep up our spiritual strength, but there is no day like Sunday.

Numbers 35:31

"Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death."

Someone mentioned that they felt awful at the fact that so many people were celebrating and rejoicing in the death of Osama Bin Laden. For it is said in the Bible that we should not be happy when someone is killed who has murdered. I agree. The lives of everyone are precious to the Lord, and He does not rejoice in anyone losing his life, even if that person has done bad things. For "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (D&C 18:10).

Addressing a different issue: though we should not rejoice at the punishment of evil-doers, evil-doers should still receive punishment for their crimes.

Eeeeeee!

I'm reading the talks from the April 2011 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the May 2011 Ensign, and I couldn't help but squeal inside again as warmth and happiness rushed over me as I read the following passage:

"We continue to build temples. It is my privilege this morning to announce three additional temples for which sites are being acquired and which, in coming months and years, will be built in the following locations: Fort Collins, Colorado; Meridian, Idaho; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They will certainly be a blessing to our members in those areas."

It is always good news when I hear that a temple is going to be built, but when that temple is going to be built in my own hometown which I'm hoping to move back to someday? That is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! So exciting. =) Yay!