Usually, but not always, I write entries here at the end of the day. Today will be an exception as I am headed up the mountain to Pine Valley (I'm excited for a cool breeze and the smell of mountain trees) to help cook breakfast for and generally be a support with Bishop Hogan and a few other men to the sisters in our ward who are headed there for an overnight sisterhood retreat. We men will stay nearby in a camper, available if needed, but otherwise out of the way. I always enjoy opportunities to help in settings like this as the sisters have a unique closeness to the spirit of the Lord that blesses me to witness. It touches my own spirit. Thank you for the opportunity!
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My morning reading took me to Jacob 2. In modern terms this was a powerful General Conference talk on multiple themes. There are some great quotes from apostles and prophets in the LDS Institute Manual talking about Jacob 2 that really hit home for me today:
"President David O. McKay (1873–1970) counseled us to be cautious regarding that which we seek. Though we may obtain almost anything we work for, it may come at a high price:
'What seek ye first? What do you cherish as the dominant, the uppermost thought in your mind? What this is will largely determine your destiny. . . . You may win in this world almost anything for which you strive. If you work for wealth, you can get it, but before you make it an end in itself, take a look at those men who have sacrificed all to the accomplishment of this purpose, at those who have desired wealth for the sake of wealth itself. Gold does not corrupt man; it is in the motive of acquiring that gold that corruption occurs' (Treasures of Life [1962], 174–75)."
President David O. McKay and Sister Emma Ray McKay had a very sweet love.
"Many Nephite husbands had broken the hearts of their wives and lost the confidence of their children. Families can be destroyed when the law of chastity is broken. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how more than just those who participate in the sin are affected by the consequences:
'Unchastity and infidelity bring serious consequences such as the rippling, even haunting effects of illegitimacy and fatherlessness, along with disease and the shredding of families. So many marriages hang by a thread or have already snapped. . . .
'Therefore, the keeping of the seventh commandment is such a vital shield! (see Exodus 20:14). By our lowering or losing that shield, the much-needed blessings of heaven are lost. No person or nation can prosper for long without those blessings” (in Conference Report,
Oct. 2001, 96; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 78).'"
I have personally heard the loud message throughout my life of music, media, and peer pressure saying "if it feels good do it" (especially because it doesn't affect anyone but the 'consenting adults' involved, so why not?).
I like how Elder Maxwell's simple testimony expresses how it does affect many others besides the participants. (As Elder Richard G. Scott said in October 1994 General Conference, "Even though participants do not realize that is happening now, they will later.")
If you have read this far, I sincerely thank you and ask you to consider carefully Elder Maxwell's concluding sentence, "No person or nation can prosper long without those blessings". Then please decide for yourself if this doesn't identify the core cause of many of the serious challenges we face as a nation.
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It is twelve days until this becomes an invitation-only blog on Wednesday, September 8. Please see the August 25 entry and comments for more information.
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