Emphasis on Christ - what does that mean to you?

[Jeanne]

11 hours ago, Tacenda said:

So Jesus isn't the God of this world? I've heard it said that he is. I would think that alone could give you pause in how you think of him. And there are scriptures that we are to treat them the same, God the Father and our Saviour. Even pray to both. 

For me, it was easier to connect with Jesus as my brother..I could pray to the Father but in everyday things and just needing a friend or someone to ease the loneliness, I talked to Jesus.  It is a great point though that the HG  may be a part of that connection..but I feel like the HG brought me closer to God..but Jesus just belonged to me..my big bro.  This is why I felt like I missed something without knowing more about my Heavenly Mother.  I believe we all have a different kind of connection..and it doesn't matter ..somewhere ...out there..someone just has to listen.  I think I solved more problems and had more questions answered on a personal level..with my friend.

As a non-LDS person, I guess a lot of you here may think or believe that I have lost the Holy Ghost..I cannot prove a thing.  But those goosebumps still fire up on the inside.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Jeanne

[Tacenda]

4 minutes ago, Jeanne said:

For me, it was easier to connect with Jesus as my brother..I could pray to the Father but in everyday things and just needing a friend or someone to ease the loneliness, I talked to Jesus.  It is a great point though that the HG  may be a part of that connection..but I feel like the HG brought me closer to God..but Jesus just belonged to me..my big bro.  This is why I felt like I missed something without knowing more about my Heavenly Mother.  I believe we all have a different kind of connection..and it doesn't matter ..somewhere ...out there..someone just has to listen.  I think I solved more problems and had more questions answered on a personal level..with my friend.

As a non-LDS person, I guess a lot of you here may think or believe that I have lost the Holy Ghost..I cannot prove a thing.  But those goosebumps still fire up on the inside.

My sister in California is the same way, although she hasn't been active in the church for years. She tells me she talks to Him all the time, especially on her walks/runs.  

It kind of makes me wonder, here I was...not judging...but worried about her in my TBM days and her not being active. All the while, she was farther ahead than me...an active, temple going, member.

She could definitely get the last laugh on me, if she were that type of person, but she isn't. You two are both very lucky to have that relationship, love it!!

Going to have to try a bit harder to have that.

[Jeanne]

9 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

My sister in California is the same way, although she hasn't been active in the church for years. She tells me she talks to Him all the time, especially on her walks/runs.  

It kind of makes me wonder, here I was...not judging...but worried about her in my TBM days and her not being active. All the while, she was farther ahead than me...an active, temple going, member.

She could definitely get the last laugh on me, if she were that type of person, but she isn't. You two are both very lucky to have that relationship, love it!!

Going to have to try a bit harder to have that.

Don't try..just let it happen.  It is between the two of you and take a moment to exclude religion in general and concentrate on how Tacenda feels today..  BTW...I think you have a closer relationship than you think.  How could you not with all you compassion and goodness you bring to all of us here.

[Guest]

We do worship Jesus Christ in every Sacrament prayer, in almost every song we sing, and honor him in every prayer, but singing and praying in his name. We close every prayer in his name, in our Sacrament prayers we pray unto the Father, and praise Him and his sacrafice throughout the prayer. Our Church bares His name, out Temples declare Him as Lord on every building, our Temple ceremonies bear witness to His sacrifice and our love for Him. In the OP, was quoting someone who suggested that the missionary or all of us worship serving missions. That is not only nsultiing, but completely false, and unworthy of another Latter-day Saint. I marvel that someone could attend Church week end and week out, twice a year Stake Conference, and twice a year General Conference to say such a thing. Jesus Christ is a larger part of every meeting than anyone else, and those paying attention know it as truth. Our Priests and Elders kneel at the alter upon which the blood and body of Christ rests and where He is lifted up that we might receive the blessing of His sacrafice. Almost every hymn is about Him, as a prayer of Thanksgiving to the most High God. It was He, Jesus Christ who taught the manor of prayer, it was He whose life and death were lived to honor theFather, and He who taught and commanded us to pray unto the Father. If we love Him (which we do) we will do as he commanded, if we honor Him (which we do) we honor Him as he wishes, if it is Him we which to exalt (which we do) we exalt Him by exalting His Father as he commanded. He is the "author and finisher of our faith, and I have never attended a Sacrament meeting, Stake meeting, or a General Conference meeting where He was not the central figure of any. 

Why do so many state otherwise or never see and feel this most basic of all gospel doctrines? Also what is lacking that they cannot feel the the Spirit bearing witness of these simple truths. I am sure most of the time that I am the least of His creation, I cannot help but feel it, be inspired by it and rejoice in it. From the words of an old song, "...there is none so blind to those who will not see". As Elder McConkie said in his final address to the Saints, "God grant that we may walk in the light, as He is in the light". This my desire for all who stubble in the dark, and without knowing at what they stumble" (this thought put into my words, taken from Priverbs 4: 18-19). 

[JLHPROF]

2 hours ago, Atheist Mormon said:

 

Elder Hales

“Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.”2

 

Well.......I don't have to be a prophet or anything to qualify myself to know BUT this promise DOES NOT WORK ,   This is the most bitter part of all promises that failed faithful masses time after time.....Now that I'm outside looking in, it doesn't make me satisfied or gratified to know this reality...I have lots of empathy for each individual hangs on to this EMPTY  promise. 

So because you don't understand that promise you reject God completely.  And I will agree that this is a tough promise to understand.
This is starting to make sense.

[Atheist Mormon]

6 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

So because you don't understand that promise you reject God completely.  And I will agree that this is a tough promise to understand.
This is starting to make sense.

Are you accusing me of not understanding what I read? FYI; no part of this promise is unintelligible....How about this one?;

"Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." 

What other aspect of our lives we run on promises like these?

 

[JLHPROF]

1 minute ago, Atheist Mormon said:

Are you accusing me of not understanding what I read? FYI; no part of this promise is unintelligible....How about this one?;

"Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." 

What other aspect of our lives we run on promises like these?

No, I'm not accusing you of not understanding what you read.  You are clearly an educated intelligent individual.
But if you are taking these promises as literal there is more understanding that is needed.

Like for instance 2 Nephi 4:35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."

Perhaps the promises you question are dependent on asking for things that are right.

[Tacenda]

2 hours ago, Jeanne said:

Don't try..just let it happen.  It is between the two of you and take a moment to exclude religion in general and concentrate on how Tacenda feels today..  BTW...I think you have a closer relationship than you think.  How could you not with all you compassion and goodness you bring to all of us here.

I think the shoe is on the other foot, it's you who is that!! 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Tacenda

[salgare]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

I think the shoe is on the other foot, it's you who is that!! 

Yea, that Jeanne is a sweet heart, but you know what, so are you.  I'm with her, you are already there and just don't know it.

[Bernard Gui]

7 hours ago, salgare said:

I don't even remember who it was, surely someone along the lines of Mercy and Grace (old poster here). that stopped me in my tracks.  After telling my story of woe about my quest for MY calling and election, MY progression in the Oath and Covenant, MY gaining a personal relationship with Christ, MY becoming worthy of Exaltation.  The person patiently listened to the whole of my failures and made one simple statement, something to the effect of:  In all of that story, I did not once here you mention charity, mercy or grace?

I myself never understood the claims of "Smithmas", lack of Christ taught in the Church etc.  That was not my experience either.  What MY failure was, was ME and the elitist, selfish, self righteous, self centered view of the works I needed to achieve and do to gain that personal relationship etc.  My old friend Hyrum Andrus used to profess all the time "The only thing Mormons need to repent of is there own self righteousness".  Of course every time he told me that, I shook my head in agreement, that it was so true of many I knew.  I never realized he was speaking directly to me, trying to put a kind spin on it.

The OP's question is really no different than the old accusations of the Church not being real Christians.  Do you remember us being proud of being a "peculiar people"?  The beauty of the Mormon Theology is the peculiarity, and yet its a double edged sword as issues ranging from percussion complexes to the age old issues of "Works over Grace" which can so easily lead weak ones like ME into all the downfalls requiring forgiveness for MY self righteousness.  

There is some fine line, something one can not put their finger on (as shown in this thread) as to why some feel the Church is not Christian enough for them.  Then their are others, like the OP, who desire for the days of peculiarity to increase, not be forgotten, for the literal power of God to still be there.  But as the Church realized with a history of the 20th centuries Fundamentalism movements stemming from the original split away from polygamy along with a resurgence in the 1980's of groups seeing a lack in leaderships peculiarities compared to the world desired to have that back in their lives.  A dangerous slippy slope of the ME syndrome, seeking for signs, miracles, thinning of veils, real power in the priesthood, etc.

I have no suggestions on how it could be done.  I assume its not possible, at least not likely to solve the real issue, which imo is a need to be peculiarity centered (screw what the world thinks of us, and find the power that is literally and truly there), and yet somehow remain cemented to a charity, mercy and grace core that is totally focused on YOU and somehow protects ME from falling into the slippy sloop and the need to repent of elitism and self righteousness.

How did you know Bro Andrus?

[Tacenda]

3 hours ago, Pa Pa said:

We do worship Jesus Christ in every Sacrament prayer, in almost every song we sing, and honor him in every prayer, but singing and praying in his name. We close every prayer in his name, in our Sacrament prayers we pray unto the Father, and praise Him and his sacrafice throughout the prayer. Our Church bares His name, out Temples declare Him as Lord on every building, our Temple ceremonies bear witness to His sacrifice and our love for Him. In the OP, was quoting someone who suggested that the missionary or all of us worship serving missions. That is not only nsultiing, but completely false, and unworthy of another Latter-day Saint. I marvel that someone could attend Church week end and week out, twice a year Stake Conference, and twice a year General Conference to say such a thing. Jesus Christ is a larger part of every meeting than anyone else, and those paying attention know it as truth. Our Priests and Elders kneel at the alter upon which the blood and body of Christ rests and where He is lifted up that we might receive the blessing of His sacrafice. Almost every hymn is about Him, as a prayer of Thanksgiving to the most High God. It was He, Jesus Christ who taught the manor of prayer, it was He whose life and death were lived to honor theFather, and He who taught and commanded us to pray unto the Father. If we love Him (which we do) we will do as he commanded, if we honor Him (which we do) we honor Him as he wishes, if it is Him we which to exalt (which we do) we exalt Him by exalting His Father as he commanded. He is the "author and finisher of our faith, and I have never attended a Sacrament meeting, Stake meeting, or a General Conference meeting where He was not the central figure of any. 

Why do so many state otherwise or never see and feel this most basic of all gospel doctrines? Also what is lacking that they cannot feel the the Spirit bearing witness of these simple truths. I am sure most of the time that I am the least of His creation, I cannot help but feel it, be inspired by it and rejoice in it. From the words of an old song, "...there is none so blind to those who will not see". As Elder McConkie said in his final address to the Saints, "God grant that we may walk in the light, as He is in the light". This my desire for all who stubble in the dark, and without knowing at what they stumble" (this thought put into my words, taken from Priverbs 4: 18-19). 

Today I was in the Deseret Bookstore and as I was shopping, I looked around and saw several different paintings of the Savior. It dawned on me, no wonder that we do everything in His name, and we speak of Him often in General Conference etc. We don't even have a clue what Heavenly Father looks like, or maybe we do since JS saw them in the grove. But isn't it interesting that all our focus seems to be more on the Savior, and not so much on God. Is it because we don't see Him in paintings or we don't have any stories of Him in the Bible or Book of Mormon really? How do we get a personal relationship with the God, let alone Jesus? Why don't we talk about getting that with God? (just figuring this out, I'm lame) It seems they are interchangeable. 

Edited June 30, 2016 by Tacenda

[Okrahomer]

37 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

 How do we get a personal relationship with the God, let alone Jesus? Why don't we talk about getting that with God? (just figuring this out, I'm lame) It seems they are interchangeable. 

These scriptures might help:

"God...Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person..."  Hebrews 1:1-3

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father..."  John 14:6,9

 

 

 

[Rain]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

Today I was in the Deseret Bookstore and as I was shopping, I looked around and saw several different paintings of the Savior. It dawned on me, no wonder that we do everything in His name, and we speak of Him often in General Conference etc. We don't even have a clue what Heavenly Father looks like, or maybe we do since JS saw them in the grove. But isn't it interesting that all our focus seems to be more on the Savior, and not so much on God. Is it because we don't see Him in paintings or we don't have any stories of Him in the Bible or Book of Mormon really? How do we get a personal relationship with the God, let alone Jesus? Why don't we talk about getting that with God? (just figuring this out, I'm lame) It seems they are interchangeable. 

  Prayer.  

[Tacenda]

6 hours ago, salgare said:

Yea, that Jeanne is a sweet heart, but you know what, so are you.  I'm with her, you are already there and just don't know it.

Thanks

[JLHPROF]

9 hours ago, Rain said:

  Prayer.  

And fasting.

[Ahab]

11 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Today I was in the Deseret Bookstore and as I was shopping, I looked around and saw several different paintings of the Savior. It dawned on me, no wonder that we do everything in His name, and we speak of Him often in General Conference etc. We don't even have a clue what Heavenly Father looks like, or maybe we do since JS saw them in the grove. But isn't it interesting that all our focus seems to be more on the Savior, and not so much on God. Is it because we don't see Him in paintings or we don't have any stories of Him in the Bible or Book of Mormon really? How do we get a personal relationship with the God, let alone Jesus? Why don't we talk about getting that with God? (just figuring this out, I'm lame) It seems they are interchangeable. 

I usually think more of our Father so I'm one of those who may not think enough of our Savior, although I do think about him a lot too.  And I think that I think more about our Father because I want to be a Father like he is a Father, with lots and lots of children, and who I am sure must also have a wonderful wife, like I have, too.  When I think about Jesus I think of a man alone, even though in the back of my mind I know that he must also have a wife, like our Father does.  But Jesus is usually depicted as a single man, and since I am not single anymore, I tend to think of being in the same situation as our Father, with many children, including Jesus, to enjoy or to worry about.  But I know that Jesus is a lot like our Father, so when I think of our Father, individually, I think of Jesus because a lot more is written about him.

[theplains]

On 27/06/2016 at 8:45 PM, Storm Rider said:

I do not deny that the Celestial Kingdom, or heaven, is where all disciples of Jesus Christ seek to go, but the fact that we become joint-heirs is not the objective.  The objective is to be face-to-face with our Father in Heaven. 

Thanks StormRider.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And 
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we 
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17).

According to the Bible, only God's children are considered joint-heirs with Christ.  But 
LDS theology has the joint-heirs (the children of God) as deities (who have achieved 
exaltation).  

Teachings of Joseph Smith, chapter 18

"… [The righteous who have died] shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in
immortal glory, not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more, but they shall be heirs of
God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power, the
same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and
ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before.”8

“They who obtain a glorious resurrection from the dead, are exalted far above
principalities, powers, thrones, dominions and angels, and are expressly declared to
be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power..."

If not a child of God, then a child of the devil.

Thanks,
Jim

[Storm Rider]

39 minutes ago, theplains said:

Thanks StormRider.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And 
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we 
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17).

According to the Bible, only God's children are considered joint-heirs with Christ.  But 
LDS theology has the joint-heirs (the children of God) as deities (who have achieved 
exaltation).  

Teachings of Joseph Smith, chapter 18

"… [The righteous who have died] shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in
immortal glory, not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more, but they shall be heirs of
God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power, the
same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and
ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before.”8

“They who obtain a glorious resurrection from the dead, are exalted far above
principalities, powers, thrones, dominions and angels, and are expressly declared to
be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power..."

If not a child of God, then a child of the devil.

Thanks,
Jim

To be a joint heir with Christ is the fruit of being a faithful disciple, but I don't think the motivation to be a disciple is to be a joint-heir - that smacks of narrow mindedness to me personally.  It seems to get the cart before the horse.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ because there is no better way to "be" in this life; there is not a better path that leads to more happiness.  

It is an amazing blessing that we are allowed to become joint heirs with Jesus Christ, which I most often think of as being completely in union with God the Father.  What else could a child of God be other than a joint-heir when in union with God?  It seems pretty obvious and no surprise that many of the early theologians through the 10th century addressed this teaching - God became man so that man might become God.  

Jim, I am not sure I follow the logic of your last sentence.  It seems a false dichotomy.  Those mortals that become children of the devil are only those that are sons of perdition - not a lot of folk.  Can you explain what you mean?

Cheers,

Mike

[JLHPROF]

4 hours ago, theplains said:

According to the Bible, only God's children are considered joint-heirs with Christ.  But 
LDS theology has the joint-heirs (the children of God) as deities (who have achieved 
exaltation). 

Am I missing the difference here? 
Bible - God's children are joint-heirs with Christ.  Check.
LDS - God's children become deities (yes, I know Ahab, we already are) when they receive their exaltation.  Check.

What exactly do you think a "joint-heir" means?
If my sister and I are joint heirs to our Father's estate that means everything our Father has belongs to both of us.

You are apparently seeing a difference that the rest of us are missing.
God and Christ are deities, even in traditional Christianity.
To become a joint heir means to inherit everything the son does from the Father.  What part of "everything" precluded deification/exaltation as Gods?
 

 

[BCSpace]

On 6/27/2016 at 10:24 AM, JLHPROF said:

In another thread Tacenda said:

We've had repeated discussions on this board about mention of Christ in Sacrament meetings, about focus on Christ at Christmas, etc.

So, if we want to emphasize Christ in ALL our meetings, I would like to know - what is it you think we should emphasize and how should that look?

Is the idea that the only doctrine we bother with should be the atonement and first principles?
Is the idea that we spend all our meetings singing praise to Christ?
Is the idea that the majority of our meetings and lessons should focus on Christ's teachings in the scriptures?

For those that feel we don't focus on Christ enough, what should things look like to improve?  Should we look more like an evangelical religion?
Just curious.

 

I believe that teaching any LDS doctrine from any official LDS source, be it by the Spirit or testimony or scripture or manual or hymnbook or video etc., is emphasizing Christ. Hence, there is no need to make a show of increasing the mention of Christ at any time of the year.  Christ is the source of all of it.

[Avatar4321]

8 hours ago, BCSpace said:

I believe that teaching any LDS doctrine from any official LDS source, be it by the Spirit or testimony or scripture or manual or hymnbook or video etc., is emphasizing Christ. Hence, there is no need to make a show of increasing the mention of Christ at any time of the year.  Christ is the source of all of it.

exactly. How can you be teaching His Word and not be worshipping him by doing that?,

[salgare]

On 6/29/2016 at 7:40 PM, Bernard Gui said:

How did you know Bro Andrus?

Worked with him in the Provo and Timpanogos Temple as Ordinance Workers for many years

[saemo]

On June 29, 2016 at 3:16 PM, Jeanne said:

For me, it was easier to connect with Jesus as my brother..I could pray to the Father but in everyday things and just needing a friend or someone to ease the loneliness, I talked to Jesus.  It is a great point though that the HG  may be a part of that connection..but I feel like the HG brought me closer to God..but Jesus just belonged to me..my big bro.  This is why I felt like I missed something without knowing more about my Heavenly Mother.  I believe we all have a different kind of connection..and it doesn't matter ..somewhere ...out there..someone just has to listen.  I think I solved more problems and had more questions answered on a personal level..with my friend.

As a non-LDS person, I guess a lot of you here may think or believe that I have lost the Holy Ghost..I cannot prove a thing.  But those goosebumps still fire up on the inside.

In my atheist years, my concept/understanding of God was what I learned as a Mormon. I didn't believe in God. I had to realize some 20 years into my atheism that I was like the scene in Catch 22, where the woman character is upset that her make friend was bagging on God. When she expresses that she is upset, her friend laughs and replies that neither of them believe in any God, so why is she upset. Her reply was that the God she didn't believe in was kind, just and loving, not the monster of God he was talking about. He then said well let's have equality in our unbelief. You don't believe in the God you don't believe in and I won't not believe in the God that he didn't believe in.

It was part of my realization that I didn't make a very good atheist, as I didn't believe in a God that I believed, as I had been taught  about. Anyway, during all those years I was never a Jesus-did-not-exist kind of atheist. I accepted that he did exist, just had the view that he was an unusual kind of thinker for his time. 

When I first prayed to Jesus directly, it felt like I had arrived at home. It is one of the singular most amazing things to me as a RC.  I couldn't bring myself to pray to the Father at first.  It took me a while to get over what I thought about the Father, as an atheist. But eventually the Son leads to the Father.

Prayer, was, and still is to me sometimes, really quite weird and at times still really awkward, though I do pray. That is leftover from my atheist years.  A deacon at church informed me that it was ok to feel both weird and awkward, that God is still there, listening. Which I do believe. But, as RC doctrine is, that whether we are praying to the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, we are praying to One God, I don't worry that the Father might get less of my prayers directed to him than Jesus does. 

God is always there, calling to us, even in our unbelief. 

Edited July 5, 2016 by saemo

[Bernard Gui]

2 hours ago, salgare said:

Worked with him in the Provo and Timpanogos Temple as Ordinance Workers for many years

He was in the stake presidency of the BYU 12th stake of which I was a member for 3 years. William Barrett was president and Walter Bowen was the other counsellor. Our bishop was John Fugal. We were a test/pilot stake for the Correlation Program. The teaching and training I received from them has lasted my whole life.. 

Edited July 5, 2016 by Bernard Gui

[Jeanne]

13 hours ago, saemo said:

In my atheist years, my concept/understanding of God was what I learned as a Mormon. I didn't believe in God. I had to realize some 20 years into my atheism that I was like the scene in Catch 22, where the woman character is upset that her make friend was bagging on God. When she expresses that she is upset, her friend laughs and replies that neither of them believe in any God, so why is she upset. Her reply was that the God she didn't believe in was kind, just and loving, not the monster of God he was talking about. He then said well let's have equality in our unbelief. You don't believe in the God you don't believe in and I won't not believe in the God that he didn't believe in.

It was part of my realization that I didn't make a very good atheist, as I didn't believe in a God that I believed, as I had been taught  about. Anyway, during all those years I was never a Jesus-did-not-exist kind of atheist. I accepted that he did exist, just had the view that he was an unusual kind of thinker for his time. 

When I first prayed to Jesus directly, it felt like I had arrived at home. It is one of the singular most amazing things to me as a RC.  I couldn't bring myself to pray to the Father at first.  It took me a while to get over what I thought about the Father, as an atheist. But eventually the Son leads to the Father.

Prayer, was, and still is to me sometimes, really quite weird and at times still really awkward, though I do pray. That is leftover from my atheist years.  A deacon at church informed me that it was ok to feel both weird and awkward, that God is still there, listening. Which I do believe. But, as RC doctrine is, that whether we are praying to the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, we are praying to One God, I don't worry that the Father might get less of my prayers directed to him than Jesus does. 

God is always there, calling to us, even in our unbelief. 

I love this.  As an ex-mormon, the only God I knew was what I learned in my mormon days.  It would have been so easy to let go of God..but I couldn't.  I found him in all my hope and in the beauty of the universe that I don't think could just happen..but worked with the laws of nature and the hand of God.  I am not without the spirit outside of mormon walls and I have built a trust in him without the interception of others.  Peace. My biggest realization recognized that He loves me too.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Jeanne