Father’s Day

This is the picture that I see every time I sit at my computer.  Not because it is posted on the wall, but because it is in a clear plastic wall file holder, nestled behind and over to the side of my computer.  This is probably not the best photo of my dad, as it was scanned from his California driver’s license, but according to the date, it was likely one of the last pictures taken of him.

The most vivid pictures I have of my father are those embedded in my memory.  I have a picture of me riding behind him on his horse, over the hills on our ranch, through the trees and across the river, feeling the splash, and his hand holding my leg securely so I wouldn’t bounce off his horse.  I have a picture of us laughing and teasing each other and talking endlessly as we rode.  I was measured by how far I could reach around him, and how sad it was when I realized my hands could touch, because that meant I was getting too big.

Sacred pictures emit similar feelings, and sacred places do too.

The temple – the hills where we rode the horse, my church – my home that I live in now, this photo of my dad – this artist’s conception of Christ

They all feel like hallowed space.  “Remove thy shoes”

Happy Father’s Day Dad.  I have never forgotten our pictures and the wonderful childhood memories etched, embedded, and echoed in my memory forever.

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Jesus as Father and Son

A question all Christians have at some point asked is, “How can Jesus be both Father and Son? JFS taught, and I want to preserve it here, as my old file system isn’t working FOR me any more:
Jesus as Father and Son

Jesus Christ is called the Father.
The term “Father” as applied to Deity occurs in sacred writ with plainly different meanings.
Jesus Christ is the Father of heaven and earth.
Jesus Christ is the Father of those who abide in His gospel.
Jesus Christ is the Father by divine investiture of authority.

The lesson uses quotes from a doctrinal exposition 30 June 1916 titled “The Father and the Son.” This declaration affirmed the unity between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and clarified the distinct roles of each in the plan of salvation. It also explained the ways in which the term Father is applied in the scriptures to both our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.

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Our law giver

Do the politicians realize that Jesus is our law giver?

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Vision for life

Friend, if God himself trusted His own spirit to lead all people to Him, why did He inspire people from the beginning of time to keep a record of His dealings with people? By what you are saying, people have no value in the sight of God, for helping to spread His truth, unless there is no truth in the words of man. God inspires people to keep records (The Bible) and then witnesses to our soul of their truthfulness, through His Holy Spirit.

We have a project going on right now which will help put this issue to rest; the issue of knowing in whom a person can trust for truth. Why am I so passionate about this?

I wish you could have watched the episode on TV explaining this on Monday evening. Here is a broadcast, if you scroll “Live TV” to Monday Oct 19, and over to “Joseph Smith Papers”. Discussion of Doctrine and Covenants is also enlightening. Section 1 was not given to us, but to all mankind. God declares this revelation to be “for the benefit of the whole world”. Every Monday will be another segment on the Joseph Smith papers, and you can watch it on the Internet. Oct 12 tells the account of Sidney Rigdon’s falling away from Joseph Smith, believing he started out a true prophet, but died a false prophet. We are examining in great depth and detail our own history. Why now? Because technology has presented itself to make it possible.

It is no wonder there is such confusion in the world of Christianity, and in general, all religion. I find your discussions interesting, but you’re always going off on these little threads that fizzle out in the end, aisi. Perhaps we should all read, James 1:5-6

Re-read what you wrote here, and then look at the links I provided. A perfect match. Monday Oct 12 JSPapers episode is a discussion of many of the things we have been criticized so heavily for. This is real US History, exposed, and according to section 1 verse 3, “shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed”. We live in fulfillment of that today.

I’ll file this under “Teepee” because it is vision for life. I’m still dragging a foot about sharing the whole vision of life and symbolism of my teepee. But I will soon.

Dena Brehm said:
I have to wonder how much we really trust in the Spirit to lead us … it appears that most of us believe, or have been taught, or think, that God needs our help, and that unless we defend God, God’s reputation is smeared … that the Spirit doesn’t know how to lead us into all truth …
The meek man will attain a place of soul rest. As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings. – A.W. Tozer I’m learnING this, am in the thick of learning it … am letting it transform me.

It seems to me that if a thing is true … it will be (or will become) self-evident.

No need for declarations, defenses, proofs, attacks, or mind-numbing doctrinal recitations. If it’s true, it just IS (& truth is strong enough to withstand all manner of scrutinizing, all manner of questioning, all manner of exploration).

Just share the thing, as you currently see it … (everyone bearing in mind that this is a journey into all truth, that only the Spirit can lead, and that all of us are doing the best we can, at any given time … God certainly knows how He has made us, and isn’t shocked).

If the thing is true, the Spirit is IN it, is OF it, and the Spirit, who alone can, will plant the seed in the hearts which are receptive, and cause it to grow.

The Spirit alone can dismantle whatever is in the way of each of us seeing, knowing, embracing, and living that truth. The Spirit, who alone can, will lead each of us into all truth — meeting each of us where we are, leading us, shining Light into our dark and blind spots, as we can bear it.

Our marching orders, while en route…?

Love.

Oh – and the Spirit alone can show us how that love manifests … in each and every situation, with each and every soul.

Unless, of course, we don’t trust the Spirit to do what Jesus told us He will, and we instead insist on leading the egoic charge into an egoic battle … attacking specks while ignoring our own logs …

“What is that to you? You follow Me.” (Jesus)

Shalom, Dena

P.S. I notice that Jesus said, “The Spirit will lead you into all truth.” He didn’t say, “a book will be compiled by councils of man, which will contain and spell out, and limit, all truth.” When we substitute the living-leading Spirit with even the most inspired of written words, we do so to our peril. Jesus said, “It is written, but *I* say…” & He’s still saying. The Dabhar of God (the living word) is that which the Spirit is saying, within … separating soul (ego) and Spirit (truth). Are we listening..? Or, do we think we already *know*…?

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Secrets revealed

In this scripture study, not quite half way through, is the following dialogue:

Question: (In Luke 24) If Christ appears…He has a physical body, He allows people to feel it…why then have most Christians who believe the Bible lost the doctrine of resurrection? Why do they believe He no longer has a body?
Answer: because no matter what you study intellectually, God must be revealed to you or He remains forever unknown, and so revelation has to be part of the process. You can study with books, intellectually all you want, but it still has to be confirmed.

There’s some things in this chapter that we learn about resurrected beings….think about it….

Since scripture study is one of my values, or “spokes” this gets filed there.

SPOKES: Where I spend my time defines my values & priorities or what is important to me. Name your 16 values:

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The voice of warning (1960)

I was awake at 5:00 this morning, laying in bed, musing, when a brief wave of understanding swept over me, like the wave of an ocean, and then rested back to sea. It startled me, because I really wasn’t expecting an answer to my fast and prayer yesterday. Well, I was, in that I fasted and prayed in faith, knowing God would hear us, and move us forward in the right direction. (I joined in the fast for our country.)

Let me just ask, How does a Mormon re-set their spiritual life? Why was Joseph Smith so driven by God to build temples? How come we have so many now all over the world? How did we have 35 chapels damaged in the floods in the Philippines??? I mean, how did we get so many there?

The General Relief Society meeting, broadcast all over the world last Saturday, gave the feeling that the women of the church have a marvelous power in the world today. The music sounded like a choir of angels, even when I was singing. I was so moved by the music. Thank-you for that.

The church is doing okay, and once in a while we all need to re-set ourselves to it. How do we re-set? Regular temple attendance. It settles us down enough to re-set our lives to be in line with God.

That was the message in the wave of inspiration that passed over me. “Go to the temple”

Re-set=Whippletree

The voice of warning was loud and clear in 1960, why didn’t we take note then??? Our leaders haven’t been strong on it since, so I’ll do it, with President McKay. Understanding now the world we live in, I will go to the temple, re-set myself, and work to preserve our freedom by having courage to walk through each door as it presents itself to me.

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Liberty, and the “Day of Atonement”

I think it is time we become like Moroni.  “Use the Book of Mormon to learn how to expose and combat the falsehoods in socialism. Our nation will continue to degenerate unless we read and heed the words of the God of this land, Jesus Christ, and quit building up and upholding the secret combinations which the Book of Mormon tells us proved the downfall of both previous American civilizations.” (Ezra Taft benson)

Join in the day of fasting and prayer tomorrow, September 28, for whatever part of this cause of freedom you deem important.  For me I pray that we the people might become aware of what these secret combinations are and where they are rooted, and knowing this, we might know how to rise above them with our righteousness, putting on the armor of God, and moving forward in any way that we can.   Tomorrow is the Jewish “Day of Atonement”, and also the day selected for a day of fasting and prayer for our country by Glenn Beck.

Washington allowed the day of prayer of the Muslims last Friday. Monday is the day of fasting and prayer for the Jews, and call it a coincidence, but the day chosen by Glenn Beck before he understood what the Jewish Day of Atonement was. Surely God will hear us now.

This, I file under that strange name, “whippletree”, because when all is said and done, a prayer for righteousness, is a prayer for repentance.
WHIPPLETREE: Course correction, or repentance. The equalizer bar between horses that helps in guiding the wagon

btw, if you choose to watch the video, at the end of it there will be pop-up videos at the bottom. Some of those are worth watching. For instance, do you want to know why the prophet no longer gives us “the warning” in general conference? Did the time for warning end with David O McKay? Even Ezra Taft Bension was a little soft on it, compared to David O McKay. The one on Ether’s description of secret combinations may leave you shaking in your boots. Take it for what it’s worth.

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The healing place

I think I’d kinda like it here.  I’d write a story and my imagination would soar.

What if  this story really did happen, that it wasn’t just a novel, that the scriptures mean what they say and say what they mean about what will happen when the world is ripe in iniquity, when the world is as it was in the days of Noah.  All we’re waiting for seems to be legalizing and popularizing same sex marriage, to totally make a mockery of the family unit…..when corruption, secret combinations, begin to implode….oh they’re doing that right now….when all secrets will be revealed on the housetops….seems that is happening too….and all we need to prepare is our year supply of food and necessities, which will be just as important as building the ark was in Noah’s day. Today is the day to prepare to meet God. There is no time to bask in the sunshine or rest in front of the tv. This is a preparing time like no other has been. God is giving us ample time to prepare. The warnings are coming loud and clear, to those who are listening. Be motivated.

I’ll file this under wheels, the wheel labeled motivation.

My healing place is my teepee.   My healing place is my temple The words are almost similar. My healing is the wheels on my wagon. Exercise and nutrition, social support and love, I can change if I think I can change, and motivation and organization. Four self-propelling titles that have healing in their wings. all that’s lacking is social support.

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We all go through this, in our own way.

The part that caught my attention in Glenn Beck’s conversion story was when Glenn asked his daughters to name the things of most importance to their family, hoping they would include God, but when they did not, it got him thinking, and provided the motivation he needed to make some changes.

We each touch certain points in our life that have an altering affect on our future.  Can you look back and recognize your own?

Life altering decisions are usually what happens when we get cornered some way.  Check mate.  God is never far away in those crucial moments.  Fight or flight, do or die moments require tough, fast, decisions.  Values are placed before us, but must be claimed at some point as our own.  I know of no other way to claim them than to face them under difficult circumstances and rise above.

I’ll file this under “Spokes”.

SPOKES:  Where I spend my time defines my values & priorities or what is important to me.  Label your 16 spokes accordingly.

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Tell or Teach, is there a difference?

Does the Prophet tell us what to do? Are we mindless slaves who sit and wait for orders from our master? Are we brainwashed by our cult leaders? Outsiders would tend to think we are.
OR
Do we have faith that what we are being taught is true? Faith is not passive. It is a gift from God. It cannot be explained, but it can be experienced. It is real. It is power.

It will require a lot of faith; and necessity; to live the United Order, which is God’s method of sharing our wealth. It which ways does the United Order differ from Obama care?

The United Order is not a secret society or a conspiracy. There is not an elite group preparing to run it who will profit from our losses. It is a society of love and compassion. Yes I said it….a society based upon love and compassion where everything we own belongs to the church, and we take what we require to live comfortably, and give the rest back. We know some day we will be called to move that direction, just like we know that some day Jesus will return. We don’t know when or why, but we do know we must prepare to live it as we grope through life on our own. Life is a scary place when you are on your own, trying to survive and make a living day by day, bombarded by events totally out of our control, that seize and destroy wealth, homes, property, and even health.

Is there a secret society in the world of politics that is trying to  rule us by pulling the strings in our financial treasuries?    Is there someone trying to bankrupt our nations and make us willing and anxious to turn it all over to them for our own survival? Remember how anxious we all were for the “change” Obama promised, without even knowing what that change would entail?

I look to the Prophet and apostolic leaders, my Bishop, and even my husband for leadership and direction from God. I keep my covenants with faith, just like I pay my tithing with faith. Faith, like purity, is power. God answers prayers, every one. The Prophet holds all the keys to the – priesthood that my husband holds, providing a direct link to priesthood authority and power that I can exercise in my own life whenever I need.

So, whenever the Prophet teaches, I listen. Of my own free will and choice I am obedient to his counsel and direction because I love the Lord and my fellowmen. I would willingly share all that I have if somebody was in need, and if I was directed to do so by my church leaders, or by God. I’m not sure if I would be so brave on my own, but with their encouragement, yes.

In World Government (Obama care), it would be much different. I can’t even imagine how different life would be if we had no control over anything, if we weren’t allowed to freely speak our mind, or question authority. It makes me shudder.

If I can’t feel cozy thinking about the United Order, then I’m not ready yet to live it, and I’ll be satisfied tithing 10% for now 🙂

Everything good that is not proven takes faith to live. Faith elevates you and projects you “out there” daring you to move in unknown territory, knowing God is there for you should you decide to go on.

File: Bolster

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