YOUNG EARTH

This is interesting stuff:

https://youtu.be/uJGairhrPGc

There are three parts to this lecture.

Much of it I have witnessed independently and have used to form my opinion of how things really are.  This is all put in one place.

Folks, if a committed evolutionist will not view this stuff, then they are a liar (self-liar, to be exact) and are not interested in the truth, but have an agenda to push.

THE BEST EVIDENCE I HAVE SEEN SUPPORTING THE FLOOD AND CATASTROPHISM

I went with the kids and wife to Drumheller Alberta and was looking at the physical evidence and this theory would back it all up.  Lots of coal beds where there were shallow swampy areas followed by dino bones and up to 70 feet of ash etc.

Very interesting on the mega tsunami ideas.  I had never considered that element before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd5-dHxOQhg

Enjoy!

ENERGY HEALING AND THE SLIDE DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO HELLISH PRACTICE

Folks, this is ridiculous that some of these folks are pushing this necromancy stuff.

After my kid died, he and my mother came back to my dad to give him specific counsel.  He never sought it out, nor have we.  It just happened organically.

I believe my wife's (deceased) father was allowed to encourage me to marry her, when she dropped the bombshell that she was an abuse survivor at the hands of her step-dad.

When you start making overt action to seek this stuff out, you have crossed a line.  I think that it often comes from a lack of personal revelation, so a fallen/forsaken people turn to the "next best thing" when they cannot manage to get direction from the Holy Ghost.  They turn to unholy ghosts, as it were.....:

The SCRIPTURES are PLAIN as PLAIN can be concerning the WICKED practice of seeking to communicate with the Dead. 
This is called NECROMANCY 
nec·ro·man·cy/ˈnekrəˌmansē/Submitnounthe practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future.
Also known as witchcraft, sorcery, or black magic in general.synonyms: sorcery, (black) magic, witchcraft, witchery, wizardry, the occult, occultism, voodoo, hoodoo; More
What is a familiar spirit? 
Familiar spirits and spirit guides are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing: 

Isaiah 8
19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Leviticus 19
31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 20
6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

2 Corinthians 11
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
1 Timothy 4
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils

1 Chronicles 10 
13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;

1 John 4
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1 Timothy 4
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Matthew 22
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

JEWISH CUSTOMS AND NATIVE AMERICANS

We are a little behind in our goal of finishing the Book of Mormon before the end of the year, but in 3Nephi we just read about the restoration of the people to their lands after the Gentiles pee it all away (going on right now....).

I find this article interesting:

https://kehilanews.com/2017/02/23/native-american-couple-visits-israel-as-ambassadors-of-indigenous-peoples/?fbclid=IwAR0oxiu-GQcl5sDV8llHcnr8zB7ioXcxbM97IYOoDx_FBPg3gpUeQSUOvTE

Here is a taste of it:

Messianic stream of faith

Despite the fact that their faith and support of Israel may be somewhat unpopular and perhaps even controversial among Native Americans, the RiverWinds note many commonalities between Jewish and Native American customs.
“For example, we had cities of refuge, we didn’t eat swine, we celebrated seven festivals a year and the new moon and had a seventh day of rest,” Laralyn said, referring to her tribe, Cherokee.
The Cherokee also built booths, called arbors, for one of the festivals (similar to the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot) and carried an ark into battle.
More similarities include another tribe called, Tzitzitza, which means “people of the fringe” and sounds like tzittzit, the fringe or tassels worn by observant Jews. Another tribe is called Shoshoni, whose national symbol is a rose, strikingly similar to the Hebrew word for rose, shoshan.
One of the main names for God in Cherokee tradition is Yohaywa. Also, the Anikituwahyah tribe means The Principle People of Yah. One of the tribe’s pre-missionary stories passed on from generations included building a large canoe to avoid the flood.
Joseph was born and raised in Puerto Rico in Las Indieras (which means the Indian lands). The mountainous region is populated by the Taino tribe and is considered the indigenous capital of the island. He has Sephardic heritage through both his mother’s and father’s sides and remembers his grandmother sang Jewish songs in Ladino. Some of his most prized possessions are his family heirloom Cephers from the 1800s. He has photographs of his relatives celebrating bar mitzvahs and other Jewish customs.
Laralyn is a descendent of the Cherokee and Muskogee tribes and also has Celtic, Irish and Scottish blood. Her tribal and personal customs in many ways also reflect biblical and Jewish traditions.

SUBMITTING MY WILL TO THE FATHER'S

From a post on FB:

The greatest unbelief that has ever been shown to me, is my desires.

Often it is said that we all want to become like the Father and the Son. We talk about how we all want to be in the presence of God again.

For a long time I really thought this was my desire. I thought I really wanted these things.

However in a matter minutes, one day God revealed to me, that this really wasn't my desire. That to have this as my desire, would require me to submit all things to the will of the Father, just as Christ did with His Father.

That, in fact, my desire was to become more like Satan than it was Christ. Anytime I pick my own will over the Father's, I am following the example of Satan.

When I first came to this realization, my instinct was to feel shame and embarrassment. This was quickly replaced with mercy, and a resolve from God to change my desires.

It has been a rapid change, it wasn't something that God took his time to do, it wasn't something that took decades to happen. It was something that God began changing, as soon as I came to the realization of what my desires really were.

This process has stirred up real self-reflection. Going through everything in my life and determining if it's my will or Gods will, and getting rid of what is a result of my will.

I'm truly grateful for God's love and mercy as he patiently helps me prioritize which aspects of my life need evaluation.

THIRD TEMPLE RITUAL OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM

Folks - there is a groundswell that cannot be stopped.

Take up your hearts and be glad:

https://www.facebook.com/marcus.rogers.75/videos/2605984386085981/?t=58

Sorry, I have no other link than on fakelook....

COMING EVENTS

President Nelson has said that the only way to survive is to have our testimonies in order.  This will be a brutal time.

In the end, the Savior and Joseph will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be able to return to Missouri and build up that great  city. 

Sounds like Spencer's narrative to a "T":

An army of Elders will be sent to the four quarters of the earth to search out the righteous and warn the wicked of what is coming. All kinds of religions will be started and miracles performed that will deceive the very elect if that were possible. Our sons and daughters must live pure lives so as to be prepared for what is coming. After a while the Gentiles will gather by the thousands to this place, and Salt Lake City will be classed among the wicked cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints, and the results will be financial bondage. Persecution comes next and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize and others will be still not knowing what to do. Darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. The judgments of God will be poured out on the wicked to the extent that our Elders from far and near will be called home, or in other words the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and later on carried to the Jews. The western boundary of the State of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitants that as President Young tells us, when you return to that place, there will not be left so much as a yellow dog to wag his tail. Before that day comes, however, the Saints will be put to a test that will try the integrity of the best of them. The pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes. Then the Prophet Joseph and others will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be selected to return to Jackson County, Missouri and take part in the building of that beautiful city, the New Jerusalem. (Heber C. Kimball, First Counselor in the First Presidency, May 1868, in Deseret News, 23 May 1931; see also Conference Report, Oct. 1930, p. 58-59)

Heber C. Kimball was known universally as the prophet to the Prophet at the time.  He had the gift

I HAVE BEEN BETRAYED BY NEARLY EVERYONE I HAVE KNOWN.  IT MAKES ME FEEL CLOSER TO THE SAVIOR AND JOSEPH:

CHURCH HISTORY

Lessons from the Restoration: When a Drunk Missourian Interrupted the Prophet’s Christmas Party

By Ted Gibbons · December 18, 2018

Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE

Cover image via Mormon Historic Sites Foundation. 

The greatest danger to the church has always come from those who have been members and who have then turned against us. Those who have been with us and who know much about us and then leave us are the greatest threat to us.

When Porter Rockwell returned to Nauvoo on and interrupted a Christmas party at the Mansion House in 1853, he was at first taken for a Missourian.

On Christmas day, 1843, a large party assembled at the Prophet’s home, spending the time in music and a social visit. During the festivities a man with long shaggy hair, apparently drunk, came in and was taken for a Missourian. A scuffle ensued and the Prophet beheld the stranger’s face. To his great surprise and joy he recognized that this long-haired, disheveled man was his long-tried and true friend, Orrin Porter Rockwell. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 4, p.155)

Rockwell told the Prophet that there was a plan to apprehend Joseph and that one of his [Joseph’s] closest friends would assist them. (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 164). Joseph responded by declaring

“My life is more in danger from some little dough-head of a fool in this city than from all my murderous and inveterate enemies abroad. I am exposed to far greater danger from traitors among ourselves than from enemies without, although my life has been sought for many years by the civil and military authorities, priests, and people of Missouri; and if I can escape from the ungrateful treachery of assassins, I can live as Caesar might have lived were it not for a right-hand Brutus. I have had pretended friends betray me. All the enemies upon the face of the earth may roar and exert all their power to bring about my death, but they can accomplish nothing, unless some who are among us and enjoy our society, have been with us in our councils, participated in our confidence, taken us by the hand, called us brother, saluted us with a kiss, join with our enemies, turn our virtues into faults, and, by falsehood and deceit, stir up their wrath and indignation against us, and bring their united vengeance upon our heads. All the hue-and-cry of the chief priests and elders against the Savior, could not bring down the wrath of the Jewish nation upon His head, and thereby cause the crucifixion of the Son of God, until Judas said unto him, ‘Whomsoever I shall kiss, he is the man; hold him fast.’ Judas was one of the Twelve Apostles, even their treasurer, and dipped with their Master in the dish, and through his treachery the crucifixion was brought about; and we have a Judas in our midst.” (History of the Church, vol. 6, p.152.)

QUESTION FOR THE WOOD ZONE COMMUNITY

Hi there....

Sorry things have been spotty as of late.  We have had a burst of warm weather lately and I have been scrambling on the house project to take advantage of it and to get well-positioned for next year's summer building launch.  A few days have pushed 20 hours straight.  One day actually went 26 hours.  Brutal....  Glad I have a desk job where I can sit and just use my mind while my body convalesces under the influence of pain relievers.....

I have a question that just came up.  I have heard on a FB group that there are prophecies or statements floating around in books published and offered at Deseret Book about a Prophet being killed and some of the Brethren splitting town to get away from badness in Utah.

I would love to confirm these statements, if possible and provide and source so I can do more research.  Not sure if that is just internet rumor, or what - but inquiring minds sure would like to know.  The only reason is that it may corroborate another strong witness that this may indeed be in our future as persecution, etc increases.  The FB post was talking about the stiff opposition the Church has seen in Utah about the Prop 2 (which I am totally out of the loop on).

Anyway - just thought I would put that out there.

Also, am looking for corroborating evidence that AoA did indeed occur in the Jubilee Year of Oct 2016 to Oct 2019.  Again, I have seen a strong indicator that this did occur (besides the obvious signs that President Nelson has gotten some sort of mandate, just judging by his outward actions and energy).  Without direct proof (which would take only one witness), I need to have two to three solid circumstantial witnesses that would nail it down, if only in my mind.

Thanks!  And keep on reading!

The blog should pass 4 million hits in the next few weeks!

MORONI AS AMERICA;S ANGEL

Good stuff!!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Femp.byui.edu%2FANDERSONR%2Fitc%2FBook%2520_of_Mormon%2F02_1nephi%2F1nephi13%2F1nephi13_05moroni_oh.htm%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3k4QZQvCplEgAUnSsM45JpT8jmGVj7AsqxOwh_o7nl0ecnjNRx1XcLYTs&h=AT1pe1UdB9ttGsWs8CWl1DcbWcSSbXpwyEOwQEJtrk_JqJtvJVR6ww5v04B0YR3iP5sdXItM-ezT3O9y854LRmA9QeeJEQzUzvLqZUl54gxPy9u4oC93wquVdFTz7I3rrTtVa8jFDRHNGN2p6VWV

HOW DOES GOD PROGRESS/GROW?

I have settled this years ago in my mind.

I think my wife and I actually agree on this point, as well.  There are many things we do not see eye to eye on when it comes to the economy of the Plan of Salvation (we just keep bouncing things off of each other and life presents principles that settle some things, and leave others open-ended until further learning surfaces) - but we settled on this one early on as truth.  My wife has far greater wisdom than I have - and I would say that she has a gift of wisdom - so I have learned early on to not discount her opinions, or at least to my own detriment, so I leave myself open to eventually possibly coming around or meeting in the middle on other topics where I have opposite views:

The only way God progresses is when we, His offspring, progress. For behold, this is My Work AND My GLORY, to bring to pass the Immortality and Eternal Life of man. When we succeed, He succeeds..... The biggest cosmic MLM gig to ever exist. As those below Him rise, so does He become magnified.

HOW THE DEVIL OPERATES

Alot of people would say to stay away from this stuff.

I like to study my enemy so I know their tactics.  Every competent football coach does this - every general does so prior to the battle.

See the testimony of this man who went into the evil side and describes how with gold and silver, they have destroyed the earth.  He confesses that the chaos on the earth is all contrived by the evil one.  This man went completely down the path to complete and total depravity, where George Soros and Hillary have gone.

Do not doubt this man - his testimony is pure and perfect starting at 22 mins:

https://youtu.be/EyNlhuCJPTo?t=1340

We fight this daily.  It will go down.  We are part of the army that resists - and finally overcomes it until it is flushed from this planet and Christ reigns supreme.

This is what Millennial warriors live for.

FRENCH GENERALS JUST PUT THE FRENCH PREZ ON NOTICE - NO MORE FORCED IMMIGRATION

Folks, this is one step away from the last step needed - which is to move over to the lever and pull, watching the micro head of macron roll into the basket.  1789 all over again....

Google translate:

DECEMBER 8, 2018
POSTED BY MARC LE STAHLER
MARRAKECH PACT ON MIGRATION 
(Letter to the President of the Republic, on the initiative of General Martinez)
COMMUNICATED

General Antoine Martinez asks us to publish this letter addressed to the President of the Republic, asking him to renounce the signing of the Global Compact on Migration, signed by a former minister and a dozen generals and admirals


Paris, December 07, 2018

Mister President,

You are about to sign the "Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration" on 10 and 11 December, which establishes a genuine right to migration. It may impose itself on our national legislation through pre-existing treaties or the principle of common responsibility set out in this pact.

It seems to us that the only sovereignty that will remain with France will consist in freely setting the way in which the objectives of the pact will have to be implemented. You can not give up this new part of the national sovereignty without a public debate whereas 80% of the French population considers that it is necessary to stop or regulate drastically the immigration. By deciding alone to sign this pact, you would add an additional reason for revolt to the anger of an already battered people. You would be guilty of a denial of democracy or treason against the nation. 

In addition, the finances of our country are drained and our debt is growing. You can not take the risk of an expensive call for air migration without first showing that you will not have to resort to more taxes to meet the objectives of the pact. On the other hand, you must be able, in terms of security, to curb the consequences linked to the arrival of extra-European populations. Finally, you can not ignore that the very essence of politics is to ensure security on the outside and harmony within. However, this concord can be obtained only if it maintains a certain internal coherence of the society alone capable of allowing to want to do together, which becomes more and more problematic today.

In fact, the French state is late in coming to realize the impossibility of integrating too many people, in addition to totally different cultures, who have regrouped in the last forty years in areas that no longer submit to the laws of the Republic. 

You can not decide alone to erase our civilizational landmarks and deprive us of our carnal homeland.

We therefore ask you to defer the signing of this pact and call by referendum the French to vote on this document. You are accountable to the French of your actions. Your election is not a blank. 

We support the initiative of General MARTINEZ against the signature of this pact which must be adopted by the Member States of the UN at the Intergovernmental Conference of Marrakech.

General Antoine MARTINEZ

Charles MILLON - Former Minister of Defense

General Marc BERTUCCHI

General Philippe CHATENOUD

General André COUSTOU

General Roland DUBOIS

General Daniel GROSMAIRE

General Christian HOUDET

General Michel ISSAVERDENS

Admiral Patrick MARTIN

General Christian PIQUEMAL

General Daniel SCHAEFFER

General Didier TAUZIN

Colonel Jean Louis CHANAS

DUMP GOOGLE AND GO WITH DUCKDUCKGO

Folks, Google is a CIA front company and it will be (is being) used to control the masses.

I am sure this information is correct.  I am finally saying something about it after reading years of info condemning google for what it is.  Plus, they support the raging liberals.  That is all I need to know.

 DuckDuckGo — a privacy-focused search engine company that competes with Google Search— released a study last week that claims Google is inadvertently introducing bias into its results.

* "Google's collection and use of personal data, including location, which is then used to filter specific search results, is having an effect akin to the effects of a political bias," DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg told Business Insider on Tuesday.

* The company's study found participants saw vast differences in search results when searching for the same keywords (like "gun control" or "immigration") from different locations across the country.


The study, among other things, found that participants saw vast differences in search results when searching for the same keywords (like "gun control" or "immigration") from different locations across the country. The study controlled for other potential factors of personalization by having its participants log out of their Google accounts and search from an incognito state.

"What [our study] does reveal, or at least suggests, is that Google's collection and use of personal data, including location, which is then used to filter specific search results, is having an effect akin to the effects of a political bias," Weinberg told Business Insider on Tuesday. "That is an important nuance often missed in these discussions.
" 

I THINK AoA WENT DOWN - JUST AS DESCRIBED ON THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS IN 2017

All of the stuff that was SUPPOSED to happen in 2017, I strongly suspect actually did on the Feast of Trumpets - just as expected.

I am bound not to say - but it is highly likely based on testimony of people I trust heavily, that the event occurred on the 70th anno of the call going forth to make Israel a nation, on the 50th year (Jubilee) of Israel taking possession of the Temple Mount after the War of 1967 and on the 100th year since the Ottomans lost control of the Holy Land, which set the above events up.

On the same year that Trump made Jerusalem it's eternal capitol in 2017.  I had no idea until yesterday that, again, Jeffrey R. Holland was invited to be part of that formal event.

All I can say is wow - just WOW!

The Lord cannot come soon enough to take the trash to the curb and set up a kingdom that will not fail and, in fact, will flourish for 1,000 years.

I cannot wait.

I was talking to a lovely young Muslim co-worker last evening about the events that will come and how all corrupt governments will be laid low.  She is from Egypt - and likely emigrated to Canada because of the overwhelming corruption there.  When the Jews are converted in a day, likely the good among the Muslim population (that have survived the purge of the sick/corrupt among their ranks) will join the swell at the beginning of the Millennium.

Folks, we need to consider what the wife of our current Prophet had to say.  What if we knew that the Savior had already made His appearance?  What would we do differently?

When I have a second and third witness and am allowed to say, I will pass my information along.

For now - pray for the revelatory channels to open up.  For some that I have sparred with over timing - it will be SO difficult to not say that I told them so.  That is the burden of those who are awake and charged with being humble and not filled with pride.

CARAVANER'S DEMAND $50,000 EACH FOR NOT BEING ALLOWED INTO THE USA

Wow - these extorting pieces of %$@##$@!#!!

I cannot believe the gall.....  I just do not get it.  How can this be??

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/sd-me-migrant-demands-12122018-story.html

This is a major newspaper, as well.  Must be a Soros doing to try and pay back his failed investment to attempt to completely throw the election or due process in the USA.

That old hag cannot die fast enough.

Just like the likes of Howard Hughes:

https://nypost.com/2018/12/11/inside-the-horrors-of-howard-hughes-hollywood-sexcapades/

I cannot believe how disgusted I am with some of these powerful and psychotic/psychopantic and despicable excuses for "human beings" (sorry to the rest of us that would use the same descriptors....).

Just wow!

EMP TESTS ON VEHICLES

This is kind of surprising to me - I do not believe that the older un-shunted electronics in late 80s and early 90s vehicles would not fry.

Not sure about vehicles today:

 https://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html

Will try and find more on this topic.

THE TRUTH ON SHADY HOAX

Folks - this is just ridiculous.  We have been duped.  Only those who deal in reality and who love the truth will even care to look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq0EJwfK0_Y

When will the masses wake up?

THIS IS THE TRUTH ON PIZZA GATE

I warn you that it is extremely disturbing - but it has to be put out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZxFtQM3ytA&feature=youtu.be

These people need to go down.  They need to go down now.  The survival of the US depends upon it.  Everyone gets it but the brainwashed people in the USA.

PODESTA THE MOLESTA..... IF HE GOES DOWN, HITLERY GOES DOWN.....

Folks, if there is justice on this earth, these two sickos are part of the equation.  If they go down, they will take killary and her gadiantons down with her.

Pray for it.  We are close to the end - and it would be great to see these all hanging from a tall branch with short ropes.   Pray for it.

NYET ON THE RUSSIAN NETI POT.....

Wow, my wife's naturopathic doc was into this stuff.  Just say nyet to the neti pot....

No thanks for me - now I know why I was resistant to the idea:

Rare brain-eating amoebas killed Seattle woman who rinsed her sinuses with tap water. Doctor warns this could happen again.

When a 69-year-old Seattle woman underwent brain surgery earlier this year at Swedish Medical Center, her doctors were stumped.

Last January, the woman was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department after suffering a seizure. Doctors took a CT scan of her brain to determine the cause, finding what they initially thought was a tumor. But an examination of tissue taken from her brain during surgery a day later showed she was up against a much deadlier attack, one that had been underway for about a year and was literally eating her alive.


“When I operated on this lady, a section of her brain about the size of a golf ball was bloody mush,” Dr. Charles Cobbs, neurosurgeon at Swedish, said in a phone interview. “There were these amoeba all over the place just eating brain cells. We didn’t have any clue what was going on, but when we got the actual tissue we could see it was the amoeba.”

The woman died a month later from the rare organisms that entered her brain after being injected into her nasal cavity by way of a neti pot, a teapot-shaped product used to rinse out the sinuses and nasal cavity, according to a case study recently published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The study was authored by Swedish doctors and researchers who worked on her case, including Cobbs. The publication doesn’t identify the victim.

The woman’s infection is the second ever reported in Seattle — the first came in 2013 — but the first fatality to be caused by it. In 1990, researchers first became aware that this type of amoeba can cause disease in people, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases in November. That report found there have been 109 cases of the amoeba reported in the U.S. between 1974 and 2016. Ninety percent of those cases were fatal. 

THE POWER OF CHARITY - A CHRISTMAS STORY

I am going to use this in my talk on Sunday:

Darin LenonFollow

December 25, 2015

It was Christmas Eve 1942. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Daddy wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Daddy to get down the old Bible.

I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Daddy didn't get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon he came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now he was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew he was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my coat. Mommy gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Daddy was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Daddy pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.

"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

Then Daddy went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. Mrs.Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," he said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, he called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and he took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.

"What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Mrs.Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Daddy was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was he buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"

Mrs.Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Mrs.Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Daddy said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then he handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at my Daddy like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," he said. Then turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Daddy handed them each a piece of candy and Mrs.Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of my Daddy in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Daddy had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Mommy and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Daddy insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. My Daddy took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Daddy and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door he turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Mrs.Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Daddy turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your Mother and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.

Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your Mom and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Daddy had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. He had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Mrs. Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside of my Daddy that night. He had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life..
Author Matt Miles

THE POWER OF THE GADS - TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER AND WORSE

As if on Q.....:

https://cbsn.ws/2QbJlg2?fbclid=IwAR1tuehRdusAH0hU_SUdv1LD0qdcH9Tz0_EOyvXaP1Zb0GzwS2e4t_1r9yk

There is no end to their depravity....

HANDEL'S HALLELUJAH CHORUS

If you did not get to see the Christmas Devotional last night, you missed some great talks and some pretty rockin' music by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

They finished with Handel's Messiah.  Wow - they just rocked it.  What a treat!  The heralding trumpet just nailed it.

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/christmas-devotional/2018/12?lang=eng&vid=5974500356001

Enjoy.  I loved it on our surround sound.  The laptop speakers just do not do it justice.

THE EARLY QUALIFICATION OF AN APOSTLE AND PROPHET

Joseph, in the following account, said that they had been in the presence of the Father and the Son, therefore, they were qualified to be especial witnesses of this dispensation.  I know not whether a modern apostle has to pass this litmus - but these men were charged with backing up Joseph's testimony of the First Vision.  Strong stuff.  I have been in that room where this occurred in Kirtland, OH.

Great stuff.  I have been in the Sacred Grove as well.  I would love to visit the Garden of Gethsemane where the two were there jointly, as well as the River Jordan where the Savior was baptized and the Father voiced His approval.  All places where there have been dual witnesses.  Amazing when you think about it.

The Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life?  I will have to wait on that one to get an exact bearing, but the other places are pretty identifiable within a mile or two of the spot.

REMARKS OF ZEBEDEE COLTRIN on KIRTLAND, OHIO HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

Source: Minutes, Salt Lake City School of the Prophets, October 3, 1883. Presidents John Taylor and George Q. Cannon, Apostles Erastus Snow, Brigham Young, Francis M. Lyman, and Heber J. Grant, and Elders L. John Nuttall and Zebedee Coltrin present.
Brother Zebedee Coltrin said: I believe I am the only living man now in the church who was connected with the School of the Prophets when it was organized in 1833, the year before we went up in Zion's Camp.
President Taylor: How many were then connected with the School at that time?
Brother Coltrin: When the Word of Wisdom [D&C 89] was first presented by the Prophet Joseph (as he came out of the translating room) and was read to the School, there were twenty out of the twenty-one who used tobacco and they all immediately threw their tobacco and pies into the fire.
There were members as follows: Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, William Smith, Frederick G. Williams, Orson Hyde (who had the charge of the school), Zebedee Coltrin, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr., Levi Hancock, Martin Harris, Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, Samuel H. Smith, John Murdock, Lyman Johnson and Ezra Thayer.
The salutation as written in the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 88:136-141] was carried out at that time, and at every meeting, and the washing of feet was attended to, the sacrament was also administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is, warm bread to break easy was provided and broken into pieces as large as my fist and each person had a glass of wine and sat and ate the bread and drank the wine; and Joseph said that was the way that Jesus and his disciples partook of the bread and wine. And this was the order of the church anciently and until the church went into darkness. Every time we were called together to attend to any business, we came together in the morning about sunrise, fasting and partook of the sacrament each time, and before going to school we washed ourselves and put on clean linen.
At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized_ on the 23rd of January, 1833, when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire. He (Brother Coltrin) experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him.
When asked about the kind of clothing the Father had on, Brother Coltrin said: I did not discover his clothing for he was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but his person. I saw his hands, his legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in the shape and form of a perfect man. He sat in a chair as a man would sit in a chair, but this appearance was so grand and overwhelming that it seemed I should melt down in his presence, and the sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt it in the marrow of my bones. The Prophet Joseph said: Brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son and know that they exist and that they are two separate personages.
This appearance occurred about two or three weeks after the opening of the school. After the Father had passed through, Joseph told us to again take our positions in prayer. We did so, and in a very short time he drew our attention and said to us that Brother Reynolds Cahoon was about to leave us, and told us to look at him. He (Brother Cahoon) was on his knees and his arms were extended, his hands and wrists, head, face and neck down to his shoulders were as a piece of amber, clear and transparent, his blood having apparently left his veins. Upon the attention of the brethren being thus called to Brother Cahoon, the change seemed to pass away and Joseph said that in a few minutes more, Brother Cahoon would have left us, but he came to himself again.
The school room was in the upper room of [Newel K.] Whitney's store. . . .