Thursday, March 26, 2020

Prophet calls for World-wide Fast for COVID-19.




President Russell M. Nelson calls for a world-wide fast this Sunday to inopportune God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ for physical and spiritual healing from the COVID-19 pandemic.  I pray thay God might make bare His holy arm in the eyes of all nations in miraculously rebuking this plague through our faith. 

Participating in this fast ideally would involve beginning with a prayer, then abstaining from food and drink for a 24-hour period or 2 meals.  Proper fasting also involves making a generous monetary donation to the relief efforts.  Following dinner at 5 pm Saturday night, you would not eat or drink again until 5 pm Sunday evening. The fasting period should also be concluded by a prayer of thanksgiving. Individual adaptation according to circumstance and health considerations is advised. 

Sunday, March 08, 2020

Jesse Knight



I was watching a video about the history of Eureka, UT. whete they mentioned influential early miners like Jesse Knight. That got me reading more about this early Latter-day Saint. 

https://youtu.be/AAJnZj0Jbcc

"As a struggling farmer near Payson, Utah, he was one day watching his animals on a hill side when he heard a voice say, "This country is here for the Mormons." He always remembered the voice and interpreted it to mean that the wealth of the land was meant to assist the Latter-day Saints."

Pres. Heber J Grant asked $5000 to bail out a local bank.  Jesse Knight didn't wish to contribute, but told Pres. Grant he'd pray on it.  Jesse Knight ended up donating $10,000.  When Brother Grant saw Jesse a few days later, he said, 'What happened?  I didn't ask you for $10,000.  I only asked for $5,000.'  Brother Knight said, 'I'll tell you this, Brother Grant.  When you come to me again with a mission from the President of the Church to raise funds, I'm going to pay without any question.'  He said, 'You're much more liberal than the Lord is.  

Jesse Knight funded the founding of Brigham Young University. 

Jesse Knight is quoted as having said, "The earth is the Lord's bank, and no man has a right to take money out of that bank and use it extravagantly upon himself."



Saturday, February 22, 2020

Creation: Not a Spectator Sport


One of my work colleagues homeschools her children and was discussing science curriculum that presents evolution together with intelligent design.  We agreed that the important issue was to teach our children that all humans are created in the image of God and that the human spirit comes from God and that we are all children of a Heavenly Father who loves us. 

Another work colleague who believes in a 7-day creationism, asked if I believed that God couldn't just speak creation into existence.  Couldn't God just say, "Let there be light" and that it would be so?

I just said that, yes, God commanded it, and it was so.  But there is nothing in scripture that says it took a literal 24-hour period for God to see that he was obeyed. Time doesn't exist for God, so if the elements obeying was instantaneous or took 4 billion years, it's all a twinkle in God's eye either way. A day only has meaning according to the limited perception of  man. 

The other point I made was that latter-day scripture reveals that mankind was blessed to participate with Christ in creation. 

When I was in Highschool, I was in the band and attended every football game.  My highschool won state that year which was very exciting. But I had the thought.  If I'm going to be attending all these games.  I'd rather join the team and observe the game from the inside. So, that's what I did. I had never played football and I wasn't the most athletic, but if you made it through tryouts and two&a-days, you automatically made the team. 

But I think creation was like that.  Even though God can and does do His own work,. How much more can we appreciate God's work as we are blessed to participate in it, then we would by just sitting in the stands and watching things unfold as a spectator. 





Sunday, December 29, 2019

2020: The Year of Vision


Isa 52:8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

The year 2020 will mark the 200th anniversary of the First Vision of Joseph Smith.  The First Vision involved the inaugural appearance of God the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ to the prophet Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820.  This event marked the beginning of this, the final dispensation, preparing for the Millennial return of Jesus Christ. 

20/20 is how opthomologist measure and designate perfect vision. Will 2020 be a year where God's people receive a more perfected vision?  Could Isaiah have been aware of our day and have used similar imagery promising that His watchmen (prophets and apostles) would be seeing "eye to eye" with the Lord at  His return? Could 2020 also mark the beginning of the 120th Jubilee? (See post on 1/20/11)

400 years since Plymouth Colony
200 years since First Vision
70 years since Law of Return 

Friday, November 29, 2019