"The Kingdom Of God Is Within You" Podcast On Mormon Matters

[Tacenda]

http://mormonmatters.org/2012/12/17/144-145-the-kingdom-of-god-is-within-you-believing-it-trusting-it-accessing-it/

Please watch this podcast, part 1 and 2. It touches on so many of our current threads here on MDDB. It's so enlightening, just can't recommend it enough!!

Dan Wotherspoon interviews two LDS men who've served as military chaplains, which is pretty rare. The podcast touches on subjects such as Mysticism, Grace, Being Born Again, Scriptures, Praying, Putting off the natural man, the Cross, Personal relationship with Christ, the list goes on.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Tacenda

[Nevo]

Dan Wotherspoon interviews two LDS men who've served as military Chaplins

This sounds like something Duncan would like.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

[Calm]

They have facial hair, can't be Mormons.

[Duncan]

This sounds like something Duncan would like.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

I wish I could like triple up that post! hahahahahaha! love it! One of my favs.! especially the limberger cheese scenes! in case anyone didn't know the man on the left of Chaplin is his older brother Sidney, who is seen in a variety of Chaplin movies

Edited January 10, 2013 by Duncan

[Tacenda]

Ok you guys, glad I snapped you out of it enough to retrieve this OP from oblivion. Next time I'll pay better attention and not rely on the words on my phone, haha. But glad you got something out of this OP.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Tacenda

[Rivers]

I listened to part one of the podcast and some of the second part. I'll listen to the rest eventually. Mormon Matters always has good material.

I really enjoyed the part where one of the guests discussed the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. The way he explained it made complete sense.

The main point I took from the podcast was the idea of yielding to Christ and letting Him transform you. I think there's a lot we can learn from our evangelical brothers and sisters on this point.

[Tacenda]

I listened to part one of the podcast and some of the second part. I'll listen to the rest eventually. Mormon Matters always has good material.

I really enjoyed the part where one of the guests discussed the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. The way he explained it made complete sense.

The main point I took from the podcast was the idea of yielding to Christ and letting Him transform you. I think there's a lot we can learn from our evangelical brothers and sisters on this point.

Well thank you for mentioning the gist of the whole podcast! I'm not very bright sometimes.

[Tacenda]

I found this one day last year and thought I'd share. Read through and see what you think, if so inclined!

PS: I put this in our wards RS Newsletter when I was RS Secretary during my faith crisis, my RS President was fabulous and let me have at it.

ETA: I didn't write the prologue below, this was part of the article.

http://www.selfgrowt...the_Divine.html

For many people, the relationship they have with the Divine is unconscious, and this arrangement works well for them. Fortunately, one does not have to have a conscious relationship with the Divine in order to receive Divine Grace. You don’t even have to believe in the Divine to receive Divine Grace!

On the other hand, I choose to have a conscious relationship with the Divine, and I invite you to do the same. I feel having a close relationship with the Divine can be very beneficial. I’d like to stress that you do not need to be enlightened--or anywhere near enlightenment--to have a personal relationship with the Divine. The Divine will meet you where you are right now!

Here are 17 benefits that are available to you long before you reach a state of enlightenment or self-realization.

Seventeen Benefits of Having a Personal Relationship with the Divine

1. Fun. Once you become aware, it’s FUN to see how God works in your life! And your amazement expands your horizons of what is possible.

2. Help that you can actually receive. When the Divine is a friend in your life, it becomes second nature for you to go to the Divine, especially when you need assistance. And because the Divine knows you so well, the Divine knows exactly how to assist you.

3. Guidance for intentional living. The Divine knows things you do not know, so the Divine can guide you in achieving and accomplishing your goals. You tell the Divine what you want and where you’d like assistance through your intentions and your intentional efforts.

4. Increased faith. You begin sensing that your requests for help are really answered, and you learn to recognize the help as it comes to you in unexpected ways. This recognition increases your faith and gives you greater peace in those times when Divine help is not apparent to you.

5. Accepting more opportunities. When you know God is supporting you, you are more apt to keep your eyes open and be willing to receive and act upon the opportunities you are given.

6. Healing. You become able to access feelings that you haven't been able to reach before, allowing healing and clearing to take place.

7. The perfect confidant. You have somebody you can confide in at all times. Someone who will never shame or humiliate you. The unconditional nature of this relationship allows you to express yourself FULLY--something you may have never been able to do before.

8. Co-creating miracles. Open to the Grace that is flowing in your life, you begin to have an active role in when and how Grace flows. You begin to consciously co-create miracles with God.

9. A bigger playing field. More things are included in your realm of possibility. You are open to new options and new answers, which allows them to enter into your physical reality more easily.

10. Comfort and hope. When you begin seeing regular evidence that God hears you and that you have a two-way relationship, it provides you comfort and hope.

11. Seeing you are precious in the eyes of God. When you experience the Divine in your life, you begin to understand that even though you are one with all, YOU are still precious. This knowing grows when you see how the Divine is willing to help you in ways that are so personal and so important to you.

12. Filling the void. Even if you are satisfied with your life, you may still be seeking “something else.” You may be seeking meaning, purpose, or to fill a yearning you cannot quite explain. Knowing God personally helps you fill this void.

13. Your own Divinity. The better friends you are with the Divine, the more you see the commonalities that you have. For example, the more you understand the power of the Divine, the more you begin to understand your own power.

14. Knowing the Divine is with you. As your relationship with the Divine grows, you begin to actually sense/feel the presence of the Divine with you.

15. Hearing the Divine. As your relationship with the Divine deepens, you will be able to “hear” the Divine. You will notice you ask a question, and the answer just “magically” appears. Solutions and insights simply come to you.

16. Bliss or ecstasy with the Divine. This Bliss is a relationship that is beyond description. You become inseparable from the Divine in the deepest and most wondrous way imaginable. There is a joy in it that is truly “heavenly.”

17. Oneness. Your personal relationship with God opens you to glimpses of your connection with all that is. These are glimpses which eventually grow into a true Knowing of Oneness.

I hope you are already experiencing many of these blessings in your relationship with the Divine, and that you have discovered additional benefits as well. The path of self-realization holds many joys--please don’t forget to enjoy the journey!

Edited January 10, 2013 by Tacenda

[Ahab]

I found this one day last year and thought I'd share. Read through and see what you think, if so inclined!

PS: I put this in our wards RS Newsletter when I was RS Secretary during my faith crisis, my RS President was fabulous and let me have at it.

http://www.selfgrowt...the_Divine.html

For many people, the relationship they have with the Divine is unconscious, and this arrangement works well for them. Fortunately, one does not have to have a conscious relationship with the Divine in order to receive Divine Grace. You don’t even have to believe in the Divine to receive Divine Grace!

Great thoughts. Thank you. My mind went on a tangent when I first read this part of what you said, though, and I'd also like to share my thoughts on that with you.

Have you noticed how many people have religious thoughts and attitudes without associating those with religious terms?

For example, what do you call it when someone stops doing something because they know it is bad? My favorite term is a mulligan, or a do over, along the lines of "if at first you don't succeed, try try again". It's also called "repentance" too, although most people kinda cringe when you say that's what it is because they don't like that "religous" term.

Or, for another example, what do you call it when you feel really sure about something. What do you call that feeling? It's faith, and whatever other term you might associate with that feeling, even if it's not from God or a faith in something that's true. And where does that feeling come from, or how can you get it? Well, you can make yourself feel sure, to a certain extent, or someone else can help you to feel sure about something by giving you their assurance that something is true, which could then help you to feel sure about it, based on their assurance. In a religious context most people associate faith with something God they get or got from God, though, because they usually want to think their faith is from God, but not all faith is from God and the fact that people feel sure about something doesn't necessarily mean it was God who helped them feel sure about it.

Anyway, just some things you may want to think about.

[Tacenda]

Great thoughts. Thank you. My mind went on a tangent when I first read this part of what you said, though, and I'd also like to share my thoughts on that with you.

Have you noticed how many people have religious thoughts and attitudes without associating those with religious terms?

For example, what do you call it when someone stops doing something because they know it is bad? My favorite term is a mulligan, or a do over, along the lines of "if at first you don't succeed, try try again". It's also called "repentance" too, although most people kinda cringe when you say that's what it is because they don't like that "religous" term.

Or, for another example, what do you call it when you feel really sure about something. What do you call that feeling? It's faith, and whatever other term you might associate with that feeling, even if it's not from God or a faith in something that's true. And where does that feeling come from, or how can you get it? Well, you can make yourself feel sure, to a certain extent, or someone else can help you to feel sure about something by giving you their assurance that something is true, which could then help you to feel sure about it, based on their assurance. In a religious context most people associate faith with something God they get or got from God, though, because they usually want to think their faith is from God, but not all faith is from God and the fact that people feel sure about something doesn't necessarily mean it was God who helped them feel sure about it.

Anyway, just some things you may want to think about.

When I listened to the above mentioned podcasts, someone mentions that one can consider the Saviour your friend also, and then I thought of this article. I've yet to follow it very well though. But can see how it may open doors to the divine, God.

[Tacenda]

Great thoughts. Thank you. My mind went on a tangent when I first read this part of what you said, though, and I'd also like to share my thoughts on that with you.

Have you noticed how many people have religious thoughts and attitudes without associating those with religious terms?

For example, what do you call it when someone stops doing something because they know it is bad? My favorite term is a mulligan, or a do over, along the lines of "if at first you don't succeed, try try again". It's also called "repentance" too, although most people kinda cringe when you say that's what it is because they don't like that "religous" term.

Or, for another example, what do you call it when you feel really sure about something. What do you call that feeling? It's faith, and whatever other term you might associate with that feeling, even if it's not from God or a faith in something that's true. And where does that feeling come from, or how can you get it? Well, you can make yourself feel sure, to a certain extent, or someone else can help you to feel sure about something by giving you their assurance that something is true, which could then help you to feel sure about it, based on their assurance. In a religious context most people associate faith with something God they get or got from God, though, because they usually want to think their faith is from God, but not all faith is from God and the fact that people feel sure about something doesn't necessarily mean it was God who helped them feel sure about it.

Anyway, just some things you may want to think about.

I think when someone wrote the prologue they wanted to include Athiests as well. That's the only thing I can think of. I had to ETA a comment, that I didn't write the prologue. Edited January 11, 2013 by Tacenda

[Ahab]

I think when someone wrote the prologue they wanted to include Athiests as well. That's the only thing I can think of. I had to ETA a comment, that I didn't write the prologue.

I think of it as speaking in simple terms, so that even a child (or someone who doesn't know very much) can understand.

I do it all the time while teaching, even while teaching a quorum of high priests. I've had many experiences where people didn't seem to clearly understand even basic religious terms, like faith and repentance, so putting things in more basic terms often helps them, and the discussion, a lot.

[Biz]

Mormon Matters is one of the best podcasts out there.