Glory

Woody Guthrie wrote:

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

This train is bound for Glory,

Don't carry nothing but the righteous and the holy.

This train is bound for Glory, this train.

The following verses of his song name all those who won't be on the train: gamblers, liars, thieves, big shot ramblers, smokers, small-time jokers, con men, wheeler dealers, here and gone men, rustlers, side street walkers.

Guthrie's use of the word Glory here is perhaps a synonym for Heaven but I see much more. Latter-day scriptures describe it this way - as we begin to live the principles of the Gospel, glory comes to us.

D&C 66:2

Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fullness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days.

D&C 88:19 talks about how when we fill the measure of our creation, we shall be crowned with glory, and return to the presence of God. That would be the ultimate Glory - to live with God in his presence where "light preceded forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space."

However, the scripture also clarifies that we shall each "enjoy that which they are willing to receive because they were not willing to receive that which they might have received."

D&C 76 makes clear that everyone will receive a kingdom of portion of Glory - but the fullness of glory is with God, in his presence, and we have to be willing to live celestial laws to be there.

So if we go back to our song, this train - the celestial train - is bound for celestial Glory - and if you want to purchase a ticket for this train, it will mean a willingness to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is through Him alone that any of us will heal from the wounds of mortality.

And frankly, I am ready. I'm tired and weary of living in a world filled with hate and anger, murders and war, abuse and broken homes, drugs and porn, thieves and robbers and all those who Guthrie says won't be on that train. I want to be on that train!

God's Will

Goodness

The world is filled with trouble and always has been.  Watching the news is depressing. It could make you believe the old Protestant teachings - that man is by nature sinful and unclean - utterly depraved.

The great miracle is that there is more goodness than bad in the world and what is more amazing is that at the heart of every person - no matter who they are and what they have done - lives a capacity to change and progress and become like God.

It is in the book of Moses chapter 6 where this is made clear.

Moses 6: 54
The sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

It then goes on to explain in verses 55-57
... Even so when they begin to grow up, send conceived it in their hearts and they taste the bitter that they may know to price the good.

And it is given unto them to know good from evil: wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it on to your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent..."

We MUST believe in the innate goodness of humans - their divine nature.  We MUST believe in the goodness that is possible. We must join hands with God in helping all his children to "return home", which means they become like God, realizing their full potential.  That happens when we finally understand God's plan for His children: Who am I?  Where did I come from?  What is the purpose of my life?  Where am I going?

Knowing the Gospel truths helps us to fulfill our potential because we "remember" who we are.

Those of us blessed to know that about ourselves have the privilege of sharing that with the world.  I have always loved the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.  It inspires me to bring God's peace into the world.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace on earth.

Lord, let me thy servant be.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is offence, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine master

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Saint Francis of Assisi 1182 - 1226

Healing

Isaiah 53: 5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes are we healed. 

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear (reverence) my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.

Luke 4:18
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. 

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This Shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing. The Savior foretold that he would "feed his flock like a shepherd... bind up that which is broken, and... strengthen that which is sick." The apostate Israel was depicted as being consumed with sinful "wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores,"the Savior encouraged, assorted and promised healing. Ensign May 2017

Elder Renlund is quoting or citing the following Scriptures:

John 10:11
I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. 

John 10:14
I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

Alma 5:38
Behold I say unto you, that the Good Shepherd doth call you, yea, and in his own name doth he call you, which is the name of Christ. 

D&C 50:44
Wherefore, I am in your mist, and I am the Good Shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this Rock shall never fall.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young. 

Ezekiel 34:16
I will seek that which was lost, and bring in that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick. 

Isaiah 1:5-6
. . . the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.

Here on earth our thoughts and actions become encumbered with that which is corrupt, unholy, and emperor. The Dustin filth of the world staying our souls, making it difficult to recognize and remember our birthright and purpose. but all this cannot change who we truly are. The fundamental Divinity of our nature remains.    Dieter F. Uchtdorf  "He will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home"  Ensign May 2016

I see in all these scriptures and quotes a basic restoration truth - I am a child of God - divine by nature. During my life here on Earth I become wounded, some self-inflicted, but oh, so many inflicted upon me by this world. I long to be healed.

When I pray I am sometimes seeking forgiveness but more often seeking healing from hurts, strength for my weak efforts, faith in myself. I don't feel sinful. I feel wounded and I come to the Lord seeking His healing. I expect that is what we all feel.

I am Wounded

The world is so cruel and harsh.

Filled with angry words,

Foul mouths spout horrifying insults.

I am wounded.

The world is devoid of trust.

I can no longer tell

What is truth and what is lie.

I am wounded.

The world is uncaring.

Unfaithful to its own,

Millions upon millions roam the earth

looking for a place to call home,

The vast unwanted.

I am wounded.

The world is filled with despair.

It's people are hurting

And finding relief in the worst of places:

Drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, porn,

Suicide, violence, mind-numbing games.

I am wounded.

The earth itself is reeling to and fro.

Fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis

Earthquakes and tornadoes

Are destroying homes and lives.

I am wounded.

This is our human lot.

Each century has its own tale to tell

Of the horrors man inflicts upon man,

Of storms that overwhelm,

Of nightmares and daymares,

Of wounds

And wounds

And wounds.

I am wounded.

We need healing. Oh my, do we need healing.

I find that needed healing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today was a great example. For two hours I stepped away from it all and was reminded of all that brings me peace and hope in the presence of an apostle of God, Elder Ballard.

Opening hymn: 
Come o thou King of Kings.
We've waited long for thee.
With healing and I wings
to set thy people free.

Rest hymn:
When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us
And we know that Deliverance is nigh.

Closing hymn:
Abide with me, 'tis eventide and lone will be the night
If I cannot commune with thee
Not find in thee my light.
The darkness of the world I fear
Would in my home abide.

I found myself tearing up during all three hymns. I have been feeling weary and burdened of late. The music brought peace.

Today I was reminded of who I am. I am a daughter of Heavenly Parents. I lived with them spiritually before I came here. That eternal part of me will still live when I leave this mortal world.

"As we allow our covenants to govern our lives, rather than our circumstances, we will find peace and happiness."

I know that to be true. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have made sacred covenants to follow Him and to bless His children here on Earth.

In a world so full of despair I want to be a ray of sunshine. For every evil done, perhaps my one good deed can bring hope to someone.

And, today I experienced healing by just remembering the Savior and being wrapped in the warmth of the Spirit as I worshiped with my fellow saints. But the ultimate healing will only come through Jesus Christ because He is our Savior and this is a fallen world. In the meantime His gospel brings hope to me.

• I find meaning and purpose through the Gospel
• I am forgiven - that wonderful Gift
• I am loved - by God and by my family and friend 
• I find joy in serving others
• I find hope in sealing ordinances and eternal promises

For right now, that is healing enough.

Heaven and Hell

Like the story of Adam and Eve, the concepts of heaven and hell are so ingrained in our culture that it is hard not to picture angels on clouds playing harps or devils with pitchforks or suffering souls standing in never-ending flames.

Neither is it hard to imagine a person at death being sent to one or the other of those places.

But none of that is true! Emphatically not true.

Among all the restoration truths, we learn that a Loving Father in Heaven wants eternal happiness for all his children.

"This is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

He will always be there like a lighthouse beckoning us home!

Heaven to a latter-day saint is a state of happiness created by living laws or principles that create happiness. The ultimate destiny of man is to become like God - to adopt his attributes and to live once more in his presence surrounded by your family and friends.

Hell is a state of being - experienced when you know that your own choices are preventing you from experiencing heaven.

to be damned, is to be stuck - to not be progressing toward our eternal destiny. No one can do this to you. It is something you do to yourself - the result of your own choices.

During our earthly experience, we get to learn what both heaven and hell feel like. We have moments of bliss and we have moments of misery. We also learned that most of the time we bring those things upon ourselves.

But not always. Life is filled with hellish horrors. Wars rage. A child sex industry thrives. Racism shows its ugly head. The Holocaust reminds us how horrible human beings can be.

For all too many, earth is their hell and we wish for them that loving arms will greet them and heal them and that heaven will be their reward.

But the one thing I do know is this: God is not a sovereign judge watching our every move - ready to consign us to heaven or hell.

We are the children of Heavenly Parents who want us back home with them, living by the principles of happiness, and they are doing and will always be doing everything in their power to bring us there. And that will eventually happen for each of us that wants it.

And that is a Heavenly truth.

Holy Ghost

After our baptism, we are confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost with a promise that we can have the comfort and guidance we need throughout our life.

I wouldn't call myself a person deeply sensitive to those spiritual promptings. Even though I try to live worthy of them, I don't get regular messages or thoughts running through my head, prompting me that a friend needs my help today, etc.

But I do believe that I am a deeply spiritual person very much in tune with what is right and true and meaningful in life. I have an inner sense of right and wrong that I have learned to trust. That inner sense guides my daily choices. I can trust how I feel as I watch a movie or read a book. I stop when my "feelings" tell me to.

I trust those feelings to guide me on political issues and especially on social issues. I know that every single person is a Child of God. That knowledge is deep within me - a Gift of the Spirit. Therefore I cannot abide policies that separate children from their parents. I cannot abide laws that favor some at the expense of others. I believe these feelings and promptings are Gifts of the Spirit, too.

I am also very sensitive to scriptures that do not portray God in a correct manner.  I battled those for years and have come to understand that the reason they do not resonate is because they are corruptions of the nature of God and the Spirit has been telling me that all of my life.

I have had a few times in my life when the Spirit spoke to me with that silent knowing that is so hard to describe.

There was a time when I was about 10. A girlfriend and I had written our bikes to our elementary school and we were just playing in the stream there. A man came and sat down and started talking to us. I began to feel uncomfortable with the conversation and suddenly inside me there was this "knowing" that I cannot describe. But I knew we needed to leave and leave immediately. So I told my friend to grab her bike and follow me. I have no idea what may have happened but I knew I should trust that feeling.

It was December 29th 1997 when I was the most grateful I have ever been for that trusting of inner knowing as I call it. It was a Sunday morning and I was getting ready for church when suddenly I knew that Mom needed me. I didn't question - I knew. I called Hettie and told her I had to go see Mom, would she play the organ for me. Then I hurried to Mom's house and let myself in. I found Mom still in bed but unable to get up on her own. I called Ed and he came over to help. Well, you know the rest of that story. Mom died that afternoon at Botsford Hospital. I am so grateful that I was there with her.

That inner voice is the foundation of my testimony. I know deep in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I know God lives and is a loving Father. I know that the values and principles taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints are true. Honesty, integrity, kindness, living a covenant-based life, being faithful to your family, serving others, forgiving everybody, these are the true principles that bring happiness to our lives now and forever.

This testimony is still there in my heart when I have questions about policy or things that I hear someone at church say. So I stay the course, using the philosophy that my job is to become like the Savior. I find I can set aside those things I do not understand because my heart tells me that church is true. I trust the Spirit.

I have lived long enough to know that change is constant and the church is constantly changing and becoming better and better. In fact, I love it because it is free to change and adapt.

My bottom line - the Holy Ghost has so many ways of manifesting itself in our lives. I may experience it differently than others but it is nevertheless a powerful force in my life and when I am grateful for, one that I have learned to trust.

Hope

As a Christian, my heart is filled with hope! The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares that this earth life with all its trials and problems is preparing us for eternal life with our families. Jesus Christ is our Savior, the Healer through whom all things will be made right.

Please read the section on the word "End" for my further thoughts on Hope.

Every gospel teaching should bring us a feeling of Hope! If you are not seeing that hope, then look for a different way of expressing that teaching until you see where hope has been hidden. It is there and needs to be revealed. Hope is as essential to life as our air and food. Without it we wither, we give up, we lose the desire to carry on.

Verse two of the hymn "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet" declares "When dark clouds of trouble hang over us, and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us and we know that deliverance is nigh."

That is a lovely visual. We all can imagine hope like those first rays of sun after a bad storm.

But the visual I would draw if I were an artist would be an Eric Dowdle collage of life's tragedies all carried in the loving arms of Jesus. He will take all those and transform them into sanctifying experiences that are for our good if we allow him. I cannot believe that our Heavenly parents would create an earth for us - out of love - a place that was designed to help us become like them - and allow anything to happen that would harm us in unredeemable ways. I trust God's plan and His plan gave us Jesus Christ with the ultimate victory over all foes.

That is the hope I cling to. Jesus is my hope.

The Lord is my light verse 2

The Lord is my light though clouds may arise

Faith, stronger than sight looks up through the skies.

Where Jesus forever in glory doth reign,

Then how can I ever in darkness remain?

The Lord is my light.

He is my joy and my song.

By day and by night

He leads, he leads me along.

Check these pieces out.  They are filled with HOPE!!

Firefly: the Lord is My Light - YouTube

Firefly: Amazing Grace You - Tube

Invite

Once again we are back to 2 Nephi 26  -- "Come all ye ends of the Earth." but our scriptures are filled with invitations!

Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give thee rest. 

Matthew 19:14
Suffer the little children to come unto me.

2 Nephi 26:33
He invited them all to come unto him.

My favorite scripture of invitation is the beautiful verse in Isaiah 9:12

"...but his hand is stretched out still."

I picture a father on his knees with arms stretched out to the young child taking his first steps. That invitation brims with love and kindness.

That is my vision of God - always there, always inviting, always encouraging, always loving.

I expect He will be there for all eternity - until we all decide we've had enough of our wayward travels - our prodigal moments - and we want to go home. No more than I could close the door on those I love, neither will He close the door on those He loves. We just need to accept the invitation - which is an invitation to be like Him so that we will be glad to be in His presence.

Inclusive, Image and Invite are similar, you see. His loving invitations are for all. The question then is the door. What is that door?

Is it a passageway - an actual place we pass through? No!

I believe the answer lies in that phrase quote His image in your countenance and quote we see the answer in Moroni 7:48 and in D&C 121:45-46.

Moroni 7:48

...that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we will see him as he is, that we may have this hope, that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

D&C 121:45-46.
Let thy bowels also be full of charity toward all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter and unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

The door - that passageway into celestial realms - represents our image - when we truly have taken His image upon us, we can go home - we will BE home.

That image may still be in its infancy, but when the desire is there, when we truly want to be there, we are welcomed into God's presence - all made possible because of Christ atonement.

I love our hymns of invitation:

Come, Follow Me

Come Unto Jesus

Come Unto Him

Come, Ye Disconsolate

Image

What does it mean that Jesus is the express image of the father? And that we, too, are created in the image of God?

Once again we are brought back to basics. Who is God? Who is man?

"Of the many magnificent purposes served in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, one great aspect of that mission often goes un-celebrated. His followers did not understand it fully at the time, and many in modern Christianity do not grasp it now, but the Savior himself spoke of it repeatedly and emphatically. It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in his atoning suffering and sacrifice, he was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children of every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven." Jeffrey R Holland, The Grandeur of God, October 2003

I have heard people make comments that Jesus and the Father look exactly alike. How shallow a reading of what is a significant truth!

So how then is Man created in the image of God? Yes, God is a glorified man and it is wonderful to know He is not that being described by early Christians - a God who is "unknown and unknowable, formless, passionless, exclusive, ethereal, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at all."

And yes, we His children are like Him in that our bodies are like His. But that is only a part of what it means. Our divine nature (see that section for more on this) is in its essence what it means that we are created in God's image. We can become like him.  We have within us the potential to become the same kind of being that He is. 

Jesus not only showed us what the Father is like; "merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness." (Joseph Smith Lectures on Faith), he showed us what we are to be. "Come, follow me" was not an invitation to just allow him to lead us - it was an invitation to live like Him, take his attributes upon us.

His Image in Your Countenance

"We seek for light and learning as followers of Christ

That all may see His goodness reflected in our lives.

When we receive His fullness and lose desire for sin

We will radiate His perfect love, a beauty from within.

Have you received his image in your countenance?

Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes?

Will He know you when He comes again because you shall be like Him?

When He sees you will the Father know His child by His everlasting image in your eyes? "

Janice Kapp Perry

Also check What Heaven Sees in You by Doug and Sherry Walker

"And the father looked

And the angel surrounded that place

They knew the truth, all that you could

And you will, too, if you have eyes to see

What heaven sees in you."

Inclusive

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is inclusive. It is the gift of our Heavenly Parents unto all their children.

If only the children of these loving Parents would also be inclusive!

2nd Nephi 26:25
Come unto me, all ye ends of the earth, buy milk & honey, without money, without price.

2nd Nephi 26:28
Behold hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, nay, but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

2nd Nephi 26:33
. . . and He invited them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness, and He deny it none that come unto him, black and white, Bond and free, male and female, and He remembered with the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and gentile.

Mark 16:15 
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

And who is my neighbor?

Elder Ballard October 2001 
"I have never heard the members of this church urge to be anything but loving, kind, tolerant, and benevolent to our friends and neighbors of other faiths. The Lord expects a great deal from us. Parents, please teach your children and practice yourselves the principle of inclusion of others and not exclusion because of religious, political, or cultural differences.

First presidency statement February 15th 1978
Our message... is one of special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father.

Elder Ballard continues:
"That is our doctrine - a doctrine of inclusion. That is what we believe. That is what we have been taught. Of all people on this earth, we should be the most loving, the kindest, and the most tolerant because of that doctrine.

Great Article: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is inclusive - not exclusive. Deseret News December 30th 2012 Christine Frederickson

"We all have our own unique comfort zone and its accompanying exclusions. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ we are asked to break down those walls and to welcome everyone into our circle. We aren't going to be best friends with everyone but after all, we claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ and he said "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have loved one to another."

We are all exclusive to some extent.  We are not comfortable around everyone in the world.  We seek our own comfort zone as regards to many, many issues.  But that does not mean we are mean or unkind.  We are never excused from treating others kindly and with respect.  And more importantly, to acknowledge that we are all children of God and He loves all of us equally.  We are not "special" in His eyes and more favorably looked upon because we are members of His church.  He is just counting on us to reflect what we have been taught of Him so that others, seeing us, may be drawn to seek for Him. 

Jesus

This is not really a definition entry.  I can't really be academic about Jesus.

Jesus means everything to me! He is my Savior and Redeemer who I can always count on to rescue "me" from myself when I am my worst and lift me up when I am down. He is my standard for everything.

 I love the Savior and I love to sing about him!

"I'm trying to be like Jesus."  He is the example I follow in all I do.

"I know that My Savior Loves Me." and "I feel my Savior's love."  I have felt His love. 

"Where Can I Turn for Peace?"   I have felt his comfort and peace.

The hymn "I Stand All Amazed" reminds me that He loves us unconditionally - imperfect as we are.

"Amazing Grace" reminds me that His love transforms us.

"The Lord is My Light" reminds me that following Him brings me joy.

I even enjoy singing old gospel songs about him.

With The Statler Brothers I like to sing:

He said he'd meet me in the morning. 

In the sweet still shadows of his love. 

He said he'd meet me in the morning 

In the warm soft goodness of his love.

Souls in danger look up above 

Jesus completely saves. 

He will lift you by his love 

Out of the angry waves. 

Love so mighty and so true 

Merits my soul's best songs. 

Faithful, loving service too 

To him belongs. 

Love lifted me. 

Love lifted me. 

When nothing else could help 

Love lifted me.

With Elvis I sing:

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on through the light

Take my hand, precious Lord

And lead me home.

We call on him when no one else will answer.

We asked of him a reason to go on.

When our cup of joy becomes a cup of sorrow

Filled to the brim, we call on Him.

My dad taught me this one:

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses.

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me and He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own.

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None of the other has ever known.

Joy

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy,

Down in my heart. Where?

Down in my heart. Where?

Down in my heart.

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy,

Down in my heart. Where?

Down in my heart to stay.

Verses 2&3 continue:  

I've got the love of Jesus. . . 

I've got the peace that passes understanding. . .

This is the best song for feeling the joy that the gospel should bring to us! You can't sing this song and not feel happy.

LDS equivalents: (In our much more subdued music)

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today

On This Day of Joy and Gladness

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

The Lord is My Light

Joy = a feeling of great happiness

Joy  IS NOT  fun

Joy is a deep feeling that all is well, life is good.

In my experience joy accompanies all things that have eternal importance. A trip to Europe may be fun and educational. I could have a very good time. But when I share that with someone I love, then it is joy. Building eternal relationships brings joy!

Man is that he might have joy!

Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. 

For to miss the joy is to miss all. 

Robert Louis Stevenson

Joy is contagious

Joy - the kind of happiness that doesn't depend on what happens.

Joy is not in things. It is in us. 

Richard Wagner

Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.

Let us relish life is we live at, find joy in the journey, 

and share our love with friends and family. 

One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. 

Thomas S Monson

Let us live in joy, not hating those who hate us.

Among those who hate us, we live free of hate.

Let us live in joy.

Free from disease among those who are diseased

Among those who are diseased, let us live free of disease

Let us live in joy.

Free from greed among the greedy

Among those who are greedy, we live free of greed.

Let us live in joy.

Let us live in joy, though we have nothing.

Let us live feeding on joy, like the bright gods. 

Buddha

Luke 2:10 I bring you good tidings of great joy.

Judgment - Justice

Here is the picture in my mind of the way I was taught about judgment and justice when I was a young child. These images in my head have haunted me all my life.  "Angels above us are silent note-taking of every action semicolon then do what is right."

I have come to think very differently about that mental image.  These thoughts are not my original thoughts.  I have gleaned them from the book "The Christ Who Heals" by Terryl and Fiona Givens.  They have given me a new paradigm, one that touches my heart and makes me happy.  I am most grateful.

God is not judge a waiting to dish out my sentence.

Earth is not a testing site and there are no no grades.

There is no eternal hell.

Heaven is not a place.

John 12:47 I came not to judge the world but to save it."

Accusatory judgment is Satan's role -  not God's.

We do not earn heaven - we co-create it.

Earth was designed as a place where we "would become as the gods knowing good and evil." Surely it is obvious that we get to know a lot about evil as we hear the daily news. Evil is all around us, corruption in government, schools shootings, drug cartels, murder, theft, war, weapons of mass destruction, an economy based on greed, modern day slavery, a market for child sex, rape, abuse, torture. We are bombarded by the evils of the world.

The miracle is that amidst all of this, most people choose to live honest, decent lives. And those whose lives are touched by evil forgive and move on. And then there are the heroes - the ones who step up and look evil in the face and rescue a friend or even a stranger from its grasp. The world is filled with goodness that is remarkable!

But because of this duality - the presence of both good and evil, and because human life is a complex mixture of genes, environment, and even "good or bad fortune," we leave earth wounded; we carry scars both visible and invisible. There is so much inside us that we aren't even able to remember - we bury memories that hurt deep within our psyche.

And then we die and all those experiences are a part of who we have become.

We need a place where we can sort it out and make sense of it all. We need a place where we can judge what has been for our benefit and what has been for our detriment.

We need a "sacred, safe place where love and understanding prevail, allowing us to come to self knowledge and self understanding, perhaps for the first time."

This is "judgment as an awakening of self." Here in judgment we come to a perfect knowledge of ourselves.

"Self-knowledge is the precursor to healing and to wholeness. Judgment is the prelude to progress."

We enter the next life with "that same Spirit which doth possess" our bodies now. We are wounded and burdened; in the misery of sin as the scriptures often describe it.

How wonderful it will be to their meet the Savior and in the presence of His Love - the one who loves us as we are - begin the process of sorting out our life.

"Before we are able to progress further in the eternal worlds we must come to a recognition of our divided self and are guided gently to bring the apparent and the authentic selves into harmony."

Now we are ready to move forward.

The Lord promises that all that happens here will be for our good. How can that be? The horrors of life are so unimaginable. We all carry wounds.

"Judgment is an assist in recognizing our true condition in order that we may improve it, not suffer from it."

"That day of judgment will be a day of mercy and love - a day when broken hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of gratitude. When all will be made right." President Dieter F Uchtdorf

"God wants us to live beautiful lives, devoid of unnecessary suffering. Certainly right and wrong, sin and virtue are indispensable elements. But the point of God's concern about our sin and virtue is that sin is pain and virtue is happiness. Sin is whatever is crippling, destructive of human relations, whatever distorts our hedges up the way of flourishing. Virtue on the other hand is wholeness, the measure of our creation. We are indeed heavy laden, and Christ, the source of healing balm, wishes us to recognize our need for the fountain - head of the abundant Life, the source of rest from the illusion of self-sufficiency and from the fear of judgement alike. 'There went virtue out of him', Luke records, 'and healed them all.'"

So what is my new picture of judgment? It is just me, alone with the Savior - wrapped in the warmth of His Love - Father and Mother are standing by smiling.

That picture is consistent with my understanding of God's plan of happiness. It is consistent with my understanding that God the Father and his son Jesus Christ are the same in their attributes and purpose and especially in their love for me.

And in this context the word justice takes its true meaning. Liberty and justice for all comes through Jesus Christ who has prepared the way before us that our progress through the eternities might never be stopped.

PS: the book of my life is the record that is recorded in me - in my psyche, in the fibers of my body, in my heart. It is the sum total of all that I can remember and have forgotten. And it includes all the buried memories and coping skills and habits that inhibited me. Oh, how wonderful it will be to open that book at last and be free!

Keys

This is definitely a definition posting. I am studying and trying to understand exactly what it means that we have "keys" -  that there are priesthood keys here upon the earth.  I fear that even after all the reading that I share below, I have yet to get beyond a legal definition and to find a meaning that satisfies my soul.

So what is the difference between keys and authority and power?

Priesthood = the power of God delegated to man.

Priesthood keys = the authority to use authority.

Jesus Christ holds all priesthood keys. This is His church and His work upon the Earth.

Joseph Smith was given "the keys of this dispensation"

Today the First Presidency and quorum of the Twelve hold those keys. Those keys govern the work of the ministry.

Priesthood keys are defined as "The authority God has given to priesthood leaders to direct, control, and govern the use of his priesthood on Earth. Priesthood keys control the exercise of priesthood authority." Gary E Stevenson April 2016 general conference

M Russell Ballard: "Those who have priesthood keys... literally make it possible for all who serve faithfully under their direction to exercise priesthood authority and have access to priesthood power."

This is an important statement because it does not say that that only those holding the priesthood or ordained to the priesthood can exercise priesthood authority and have access to priesthood power. It says that all who serve faithfully under their direction (and that would include women) and in whatever capacity we serve under those who have priesthood keys,  have authority and power.

Dallin H Oaks: Priesthood keys "limit by directing who will be given the authority of the priesthood, who will hold its offices, and how its rights and powers will be conferred."

And that is how it is in the church. We don't choose what we want to do in the church. We are called and asked to serve by those who have the authority over our wards and stakes.

Elder Bednar: "The priesthood is the authority of God delegated to men on earth to act in all things for the salvation of mankind."

• Qualifications for this service - our worthiness and willingness
• The priesthood itself is received through ordination by one who already holds the priesthood and authorized by one with the keys.

Elder Bednar continues:  "Higher priesthood is received by a solemn covenant that includes the obligation to act in the office and the authority that have been received. The priesthood is there for an active responsibility not a passive gift."

"The covenant is the commitment to actively use the priesthood."

Elder Bednar again: Priesthood power is "God's power operating through men and boys... And requires personal righteousness, faithfulness, obedience and diligence. A boy or man may receive priesthood authority by the laying on of hands but will have no priesthood power if he is disobedient, unworthy or unwilling to serve." D&C 121:36 - 37

So in effect, the keys are the administrative arm of the priesthood. Those with keys determine who will be given authority.

The authority is your right to exercise the priesthood responsibilities given to you. Those responsibilities could be actual priesthood responsibilities or it could be Relief Society or Primary or Young Men and Young Women responsibilities - all of those fall under the same category.

The power behind that authority is your own personal righteousness which empowers you and connects you to God. As we serve in our callings we have the right at to expect the Lord to bless us as we in all righteousness try to serve His children.

From Come, Follow Me for the Aaronic priesthood I found:

We receive the holy priesthood by an oath and covenant. This means that Heavenly Father gives us His oath that we can have the power or and blessing of the priesthood if we covenant with Him to magnify our callings, be faithful in keeping the commandments, and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

That certainly is not limited to those who have been ordained to the priesthood.

Kindness

Oh, how we need kindness in our world!

Kindness = The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate; treating others with respect.

Kind heartedness

Loving-kindness

Warm heartedness

Tender heartedness

Goodwill

Affection

Warmth

Gentleness

"One who is kind and sympathetic and gentle with others. He is considerate of others feelings and courteous in his behavior. He has a helpful nature. Kindness pardons other's weaknesses and faults. Kindness extends to all - to the aged and the young, to animals, to those of low station as well as the high." Benson

You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force. 

Publius Syrus

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. 

The Dalai Lama

Kindness - it cost nothing but means everything.

Kindness begins with me.

Throw kindness around like confetti.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Kind people are the best kind.

"Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have ever known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends." Joseph B. Wirthlin

The world needs kindness more than ever. The anonymity people feel on social media has given them permission to be rude and unkind. It's not just enmity. Look at the President's tweets. There is just a freedom online to say whatever you are thinking because there's no person in front of you whose reaction you can see.

It's just like we are living Ender's Game. (Book by Orson Scott Card) It feels like we're just playing a game while we cause real hurt and damage.

Kindness is an amazing concept. It doesn't depend on feelings. We don't have to love someone in order to be kind. Kindness is a choice we make. It is a reflection of who we are.

The act of being kind has the power to change us. In the Doctrine and Covenants section 107: 30-31 it reads:

"The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, and holiness, and lowliness of heart, patience and long-suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. because the promise is, if these things abound in them they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord."

To me "kindness" is the overarching concept - all the others virtues quoted in verse 30 are qualities of one who is kind. No wonder the scriptures speak of the Lord and his loving-kindness. And no wonder Paul and his beautiful discourse on charity reminded us that  "charity is kind."

I would love to watch a political debate done under a huge sign that read "speak kindly." The moderators would stop any candidate who spoke unkindly and ask them to rephrase that thought in a more respectful way. Just imagine what that model would say to the world!

If a principal is true then it applies universally. Kindness needs to be lived in every aspect of our lives. As the Dalai Lama taught "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

In a world where you can be anything, be kind!

If you haven't discovered the Kindness Diaries, you can watch them on BYU TV or on Netflix.  It's a good place to remind yourself what kindness looks like and ask yourself if you would show kindness to a stranger who need a place to stay for the night, a meal, or a tankful of gas.

Laws

I see two ways to look at the word "laws."

Definition 1: Laws imply imposition by a sovereign authority and the obligation of obedience on the part of all persons who are subject to that authority.

Definition 2:  A principle governing actions; a precept or principle.

I choose to believe that it is this latter definition that the Lord has been trying to teach us. I see no thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai - only a loving Father asking Moses to teach his people the laws of happiness.

My version of the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness includes a personal interview with my Heavenly Parents right before I leave. They encouraged me to discover the principles of truth and happiness while I am on Earth "for by their fruits you shall know them."

In this plan Father trusts that I will learn through experience to "prize" the good. True principles have consequences that are natural teachers. That is the meaning of D&C 132:

"There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of this world upon which our blessings are predicated and when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

Some call this living a principled life. As we learn a truth we make a choice to live by that truth or principle. True principles make us happy - bring joy to our lives. As we learn to follow those principles we can say our lives are governed by law. We are no longer tossed around but we are solid, predictable, trustworthy.

Surely one major purpose of the church organization is to help us learn together what those principles are.

Paul understood this as he wrote in Ephesians:  "and he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelist, and some, pastors and teachers: for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, and to a perfect man, on to the measure of the stature of the fullness of

that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, but a slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

I see our task as learning to trust the Father's plan and to be witnesses of the truths we have learned and to have a deepening appreciation for the Savior who assures us that our mistakes will not stop our progression and who will heal us from the wounds we suffer along the way.

Warning:  humans have a great tendency to regress from living principles (that is, obedience to the principles of happiness)  to assuming sovereign authority. As parents we often assume that role.

Read D&C 121:41-46 often!!