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Word of Wisdom

The Word of Wisdom was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is a law of health that teaches us what foods we should and should not use to keep our bodies healthy. We know that it was blessing to receive a phsyical body when we came to earth.

The reason why it is a blessing is because we need a physical body to become like our Heavenly Father. Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (Corinthians 3:16-17). Like my friend Mike has always told me, part of our reason for being on earth was to learn to control our bodies as well. I believe this means controlling your appetite as well as other physical wants and pleasures.

Things not to put into our bodies

Before baptism, we are told to abstain from: tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee. During our investigation of the church, our missionaries often told us that these things would keep us from being receptive to the spirit and I believe this makes sense.

This that are good for our bodies

Grain, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and wholesome herbs are good for us. We should use them with wisdom and thanksgiving.

Fish is good for us. The flesh of birds and animals (chicken, pork, beef) is also provided for our food. However, we should eat meat sparingly.

Blessings from Obedience

Doctrine and Covenants chapter 89 also states:

And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. (D&C 89:18-20)

I have personally seen the blessings of being obedient to the word of wisdom and in an odd way, I am glad that it is a law of health commanded by Heavenly Father. This definitely makes weight loss a no-brainer. Why would we not want to obey and please our Father in Heaven?

You can read the short chapter of Doctrine and Covenants Section 89 by following this link:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89

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Trunk or Treat

This past week we had “Trunk or Treat” in my ward.  I’ve never been to one before but it was very fun.

My sons were:

  • A Cowboy
  • A Power Ranger
  • A Chicken/duck (still can’t figure out which one) with backwards feet!

The food was to die for, there were maybe fifteen types of Chili, corn bread and pie to choose from.
There were some interesting costumes as well.  Most notable was the Bishop dressed up as Captain Moroni.  The missionaries changed name tags and were each other.

Trunk or Treat is definitely a must do every year now.  It is a very safe environment, less walking, more candy, SAFE candy!  There were also games for the children.

It was a chance to spend time with my family and socialize with the members in my ward outside of a “reverent” mode that I am usually in on Sundays.

One last note, it is amazing how quickly an Elder’s Quorum can put away a parking lot full of tables and chairs in less than ten minutes.

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Elvis… Mormon?

It appears that Elvis Presley was thinking about becoming one! According to this new story, “Movie Shows Spiritual Side of Elvis,” there is a new movie being made called “Tears of a King” which explores the spiritual part of Elvis’ life. Elvis was seeking the truth and receiving missionaries. He had a Book of Mormon with notes written in it.

On various pages throughout the book, are handwritten notes, believed to be written by Presley. He underlined the word “KING” throughout the book. Also on one page there is a note that reads: “My daughter Lisa needs this church. She’s nine. Please help her…”

While reading the comments of the news article, someone named “Candace S.” states:

My stepfather was one of the missionaries that went to visit Elvis on several occasions. The missionairies were always welcomed to visit anytime he was there.

…he said in the past, that Elvis enjoyed and agreed with the discussions, but was unable to give up his (forgive the saying) his wine, women, and song (although I’m sure he wouldn’t have to give up too much of the song part). I think sometimes even when someone knows that the church is true some habits are hard to give up, especially being who he was.

The King of Rock and Roll was on to something with this Church.

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Famous Mormons

While browsing around last night I found an interesting website about Famous Mormons.

Here are a few celebrities that I already knew were active Latter-day Saints:

Here are a few celebrities that I didn’t know were Latter-day Saints and are Inactive:

  • A.J. Cook – Actress – Final Destination 2, Tru Calling
  • Eliza Dushku – Actress – Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, Tru Calling
  • Kelly Packard – Actress – California Dreams, Baywatch
  • Paul Walker – Actress – Varsity Blues, Pleasantville, She’s All That, The Fast and the Furious
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Crisis of Faith

I was browsing the web tonight and came across a post at the blog “Our Thoughts.” It was a wonderful entry that truly shows the test of faith of Kim Siever.

What really strikes me the most are the similar experiences between the writer, Joseph Smith, and Jesus Christ! In his experience, Kim writes:

…I had an unusual and foreign experience. Several years ago, I found myself in a difficult situation. As a result, I was praying frequently and frequently for the Lord’s intervention. I prayed several times every day and was fasting every Sunday. Some weeks I fasted Sunday and Monday…

..After several weeks of not seeing any change in the situation, I began questioning why I was not receiving an answer to my prayer…

…I started to wonder if perhaps the reason I wasn’t receiving an answer from God was because God did not exist…

…My entire life was filled with teachings that told me if I ever needed anything from God, I simply had to ask. Here I was, having asked every day for several weeks, even unusually fasting frequently, and those promised answers had not come…

I find it hard to imagine being brought up in the Church and then to begin questioning the very things that you were taught by your parents and thought you believed in. I often feel like the Converts and Pioneers in the Church have it easier than people who were born or brought up into the Church.

For someone to want to be baptized would mean that they have received a personal testimony about truthfulness of things. For someone to grow up in the Church, you could be baptized, but not really have a testimony or be truly ‘converted.’ I believe that a person born into the Church must have a stronger spirit and drive to be ‘converted’ in the gospel.

Kim, the writer further writes:

At the time, we were attending an Institute class. We had a good instructor, and we were discussing church history. Actually, we were specifically studying Liberty Jail. In the course of the class, we discussed D&C 121:1-2.

O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

My ears perked up. Joseph Smith — the first prophet of the restoration, one who had seen God, one who had been ministered by angels — was asking the same question I had: where was God.

Immediately to my mind came Matt 27:46:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And now even Jesus, the savior of the world, was asking the same question that had entered my mind several times. The progenitor of our faith and the source of our faith both put forth the same question to God. Both felt alone. And both came through triumphant.

At that point, the Spirit entered into me with such a force that I knew I had never felt such a thing in my entire life…

Kim Siever, Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ were asking where God was and feeling abandoned. The saying “It is always darkest before dawn” applies here.

What a wonderful story and trail of faith. I have learned a lot from this and now I cannot wait to see what Kim Siever will write next. This has definitely left an impression on me, to where I feel re-energized and gung-ho to learn more about the gospel.

You can view the complete post here: http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/21/my-faith-crisis-story/

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Mormon Video Channel

For the entire Summer I’ve been visiting youtube, trying to find positive videos about LDS. I found some really good ones, but not before finding negative videos or anti-mormon videos. It saddens me to see how much anti material you can find on the web.

My personal opinion is that there is no need for it. I already have my personal testimony that this Church is true. I do not need to bombard myself with negative things. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you feel the same way too. My good friend Mike has told me many times to seek good things and I can see why.

What comes to mind for me is Alma Chapter 32 in the Book of Mormon. Faith is described as a seed that you plant. After planting it, you must nourish the seed so that is may sprout, grow roots and turn into a tree. If you do not nourish the sprout from the seed, it will not grow roots, it will be scortched when the heat of the sun comes, never turning into the tree.

For this reason, I’ve created a list of videos on youtube that I’ve seen that are good and pure and do not convey hate or anything against the Church. You can see the videos at: http://ldspadvideo.wordpress.com/

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The Women of the Church

Last Sunday during Elders Quorum, we had a lesson on Chapter 20, The Women of the Church, out of the Book Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball.

Within this lesson we discussed the important roles the women in the Church have and how they are equal to us in our roles. What the late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote pretty much sums it up:

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel…was devised by the Lord for men and women alike”

We discussed the roles of men and women in the eternal sense: Women having the huge responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood. However, it is stressed that “the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11).

A brother mentioned the large role the Relief Society plays in the Church. He said “Without the Women, we would just be a bunch of men in a Church.” He also pointed out how the Relief runs the Humanitarian Aide that the Church has been recently recognized for during the Hurricane Katrina / New Orleans disaster.

The motto of the Relief Society is “Charity never faileth” (Moroni 7:46, 1 Corinthians 13:8) and they seem to be sticking close to their motto.

One last thing that left a deep impression on me and I hope it will with you too – A passage from the lesson chapter:

Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to.

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Latter-day Saints. Yep, they’re everwhere!

I don’t know why, but in the past two weeks I’ve noticed the presence of Mormons and Religion everywhere, even TV. As I stated in an earlier blog: Latter-day Saints. They’re Everywhere!

While watching “House M.D.” on Fox a few weeks ago, House thinks that a patient has liver cancer, the idea comes up that they should get the patient drunk and measure her response to indeed diagnose if she does or not have liver cancer. House chooses Jeffery Cole, a Mormon who does not drink alcohol, to be the control group.

House eggs on Cole by asking “All life is sacred, right? Would you pull an ass out of a pit on the Sabbath?” You can view this by clicking here. Choose “The Right Stuff: Airdate 10/2/2007” and fast forward to 26:30 minutes into the show to get the whole context of what brings the situation up.

Fox’s House Website lists a little information about the character Jeffery Cole:

Mormon Character Jeffery Cole on House

#18 – Jeffery Cole
Specialty: Genetics

A religious man with responsibilities, he is both compassionate and principled. He may be a potential lightening rod for House’s punishment with his divided priorities.

I hope that he stays on the show for a while, it will be interesting how the writers will make this character interact with House, as well as how they will attempt to give this character dimension.

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Facebook LDS App Acquired by More Good Foundation

While browsing around the Internet tonight, I cam across an interesting post about a Facebook.com Application being sold.  It just so happened to be a “LDS App” written by Jesse Stay.

On another blog, by Thom Allen,  says that the More Good Foundation, a Utah Non-Profit whose mission states “The More Good Foundation helps persons of all faiths find accurate information about the Mormon Church on the Internet.”, appears to be the purchaser.

Thom also states that the application was purchased for $2.00 USD per user, with an estimated 13,000 Facebook users using the application.

Very cool news for Jesse!

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LDSTech: The Church’s Technology Side

With the Church being as large as it is, it makes sense that there is definitely some technology that runs behind the scenes to get the message out there, to keep members connected and have things organized and running smooth. I utilize their websites everyday using www.mormon.org and the scriptures.lds.org websites to read and learn more about things.

It is amazing how organized the Church is and this site just goes to show how much work and effort is being done for a great cause.

tech.lds.org provides a glimpse into the inner-workings and the people behind the scenes that make it all possible. Being in the tech field myself, I found humor in the following post:

A good friend and one-time co-worker of mine once sent me a postcard while on vacation. On the postcard was written the following:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char ** argv)
{
/* Print the greeting */
printf(“Hello from California!\n\r”);
printf(“My family and I are having a wonderful time.\n\r”);
printf(“We went to the beach and to some theme parks.\n\r”);
printf(“The weather has been wonderful.\n\r”);
printf(“I should be back to work next week.\n\r\n\r”);
printf(“Your friend\n\r”);

/* Exit the program with a success status */
return(0);

}

Click here to view the entire post.