tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31993876603570031702024-02-20T20:00:32.389-05:00Things of My Soul(I) talk of Christ . . . and (I) write according to (my understanding), that (my) children (and friends) may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Nephi 25:26)Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.comBlogger2335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-85918138624198389422018-05-12T18:50:00.002-04:002018-05-12T18:53:32.385-04:00This Life Is Meant to Be a Kingdom, Not Just a Cross
A belief in the afterlife can have negative effects. Some people seem to disengage from this life, banking on a promised post-mortal future to bring peace and happiness. They don't enjoy this life or attempt to make a real difference in the lives of others, because they don't see this life as anything more than a temporary test. Many of these people are instantly recognizable in church because Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-82248038238367046382018-02-02T17:25:00.000-05:002018-02-02T17:25:22.917-05:00My Own Bucket List
I loved the movie, "The Bucket List." I had seen it one time previously, but it was better the second time, since I knew what was going to happen and could focus on the smaller details I missed the first time I watched it. It also allowed me to consider thoughts and conceptual things that struck me for the first time, and those insights were powerful for me.
The first epiphany was something Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-3937777782971882502017-11-10T23:28:00.000-05:002017-11-10T23:29:06.443-05:00The Need for Charity: We Aren't as Smart as We Think We AreA friend of mine recently said something truly profound about our tendency to judge others:
Whether they are religious or not, conservative or liberal, no matter their race, sex, or orientation, human beings have a very strong tendency to think that their own perspectives are the clearest, that their ideas are the most rational, and that their values are the most enlightened. Anyone who Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-53089067840223574642017-04-14T16:00:00.001-04:002017-04-14T16:00:58.563-04:00On Forgiveness: Two Important Things
Two thoughts on forgiveness this Easter weekend:
1) We only can forgive those who have hurt us. We have no right to claim we forgive anyone who has not hurt us. That is a mockery of the difficulty of forgiveness for those who actually have suffered.
2) We are commanded to forgive everyone who has hurt us in any way - but there is nothing in that statement that requires we forget. Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-85334783615488322992017-04-09T22:47:00.000-04:002017-04-09T22:47:28.886-04:00We Are More than Just Children of a King
A friend of mine said the following today, in reference to common statements about being children of a King:
When the Israelites in the meridian of time looked for the Messiah they looked for him to come in glory with conquering armies. He came instead as the child of a carpenter born in the most humble of circumstances.
Are we not children of the Good Shepherd? Are we not Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-45955618633833985582017-04-03T00:07:00.000-04:002017-04-03T00:07:06.652-04:00Being Nothing without Charity and "Being Worthy": How We Miss the MarkI interpret the idea that we are nothing without charity as being a refutation of the natural tendency to value things and create measurements that make us feel better than others. So many other things we tend to value highly separate us from others by elevating us above them and making us worth more (or, interestingly, "more worthy"); charity levels the field and truly sets us as equal in worth.Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-311611161444360172017-03-27T10:44:00.000-04:002017-03-27T10:44:38.081-04:00A Beautiful Explanation of Not Judging OthersA friend of mine shared the following, and I want to share it here. It is one of the most beautiful explanations of the theological reason we should not judge others I have ever heard.
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Background: When I was a young child, someone harmed me in a terrible
way. To date I have never harbored anger towards this person. Part of
Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-39151019755843481772017-03-13T00:10:00.000-04:002017-03-27T10:38:26.143-04:00Yes, We Are Our Brothers' and Sisters' Keepers
Remember: It was Cain (a murderer) who replied to God, when asked where Abel was, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
There are hundreds of verses and passages throughout the Bible (and other religious texts) that say, quite explicitly, that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers in some way and to some extent.
It is the determination of the way and the extent where there can be Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-2058008734055479372017-03-04T00:08:00.000-05:002017-03-04T00:08:06.402-05:00What Does the Sacrament Prayer Really Say: Not What We Often Teach[quote="squarepeg"]The Sacrament Prayer says that we will always have His spirit to be with us if we take His name upon us, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. Maybe that's an easy one to write off as impossible since I definitely don't remember Him always. Sometimes I'm just thinking about something else and not of Him, because if I thought of Him all the time, I couldn't focus to Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-46646315310082928942017-02-28T00:07:00.000-05:002017-02-28T00:07:00.752-05:00Jesus as Advocate and Judge - and We as Advocates OnlyWe had a wonderful lesson in our High Priests Group, and I want to share one particular insight I had near the end of the lesson:
We talk about Jesus as the Judge, but I like another title better: Advocate with the Father. I like the framing of Jesus representing us at the judgment seat of the Father - being our advocate (defender) for mercy, with the Father being the actual Judge. I like it Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-37484052554816443182017-02-03T00:02:00.000-05:002017-02-26T17:41:12.655-05:00We Can Be "Atoners" in This Life
We talk of an infinite Atonement, but I have seen an example of how powerful a mortal, finite Atonement can be.
My father's sacrifice for my mother, about which I won't write again here, allowed her to have a peaceful, joyful life despite "limitations" that could have made her life hellish. In a very real way, he laid down (set aside) his potential life and picked up a new life solely Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-47066204292858946142017-01-31T00:27:00.000-05:002017-01-31T00:27:03.857-05:00God Loves His Children Even as They Toddle, Falter, and Fall
We have all seen a toddler learn to walk. He takes a small step and
totters. He falls. Do we scold such an attempt? Of course not…
Compared to the perfection of God, we mortals are scarcely more than
awkward, faltering toddlers. But our loving Heavenly Father wants us to
become more like Him…
I
do not believe in a God who would set up rules and commandments only to
wait for us to Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-53319214017432014982017-01-27T00:05:00.000-05:002017-01-27T00:05:01.556-05:00Does God Really Direct Us Down "Wrong Roads" Sometimes? Elder Holland gave a talk in General Conference a couple of years ago about what he learned when he and his father took a wrong road on the way home late one night. It generated a lot of discussion online about whether or not God really would direct us down wrong roads in our lives.
My own take is that God allows us to walk "wrong roads" as part and
parcel of mortality and our limited Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-44700113327888265492017-01-24T00:21:00.000-05:002017-01-24T00:21:01.902-05:00Individual Exceptions Are between Each Person and the Lord
“There are exceptions to some rules.
For example, we believe the commandment is not violated by killing
pursuant to a lawful order in an armed conflict. But don’t ask me to
give an opinion on your exception. I only teach general rules. Whether
an exception applies to you is your responsibility. You must work that
out individually between you and the Lord.”
- Dallin H. Oaks, Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-9262107973770554802017-01-20T00:22:00.000-05:002017-01-20T00:22:00.169-05:00Sometimes, Our Obsession with Proper Prayer Language Is UnhealthyI have a friend who is convinced we are wrong to pray in modern formal language.
Personally, I have absolutely no problem with people using "thee" and "thou" and
such language in prayer. None whatsoever. If it helps them feel more
respectful and worshipful, I support it completely. I tend to use that
type of wording simply because it is the prayer language of my
upbringing, and I am Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-43336763972207179272017-01-17T00:17:00.000-05:002017-01-17T00:17:01.554-05:00Revelation As a Process of Sifting and Winnowing
“The Lord uses imperfect people…He
often allows their errors to stand uncorrected. He may have a purpose in
doing so, such as to teach us that religious truth comes forth “line
upon line, precept upon precept” in a process of sifting and winnowing
similar to the one I know so well in science.”
- Henry Eyring, "Reflections of a Scientist", p. 47
Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-64711642945898469222017-01-13T00:27:00.000-05:002017-01-13T00:27:01.361-05:00The Restoration Is On-Going, and We Can Be Restorers or DestroyersAccording to Jacob 5, the tree will continue to be pruned right up until
the end - and I see that as a pruning of incorrect traditions and
misunderstandings, not as a pruning of people. It doesn't make sense to me,
in the actual context of the allegory, to make it about people.
Therefore, anyone who assists in proper pruning, undertaken at a pace
and in a way that doesn't damage the root, Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-3555266385961633152017-01-10T00:12:00.000-05:002017-01-10T00:12:03.296-05:00We Must Be Open to People Outside Our Usual Circle of Friends
In this Church our wards and our
quorums do not belong to us. They belong to Jesus Christ. Whoever enters
our meetinghouses should feel at home. The responsibility to welcome
everyone has growing importance. The world in which we live is going
through a period of great upheaval. Because of the increased
availability of transportation, speed of communication, and
globalization of Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-17859391517340207392017-01-06T00:17:00.000-05:002017-01-06T00:17:10.727-05:00Some Excellent, Practical Advice to Help Us Find PeaceI almost never share things here that I find being forwarded on Facebook or
other similar sites, but I came across this one today and want to share
it with everyone here: 1. Make peace with your past, so it won't screw up your present.
2. What others think of you is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost everything, so give it time.
4. Don't compare your life to othersPapa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-35161566990326196212017-01-03T00:10:00.000-05:002017-01-03T00:10:06.028-05:00The LDS Church Also Evolves in Its Understanding and Its Recognition of Past Mistakes
"Seventy years ago this Church was
organized with six members. We commenced, so to speak, as an infant. We
had our prejudices to combat. Our ignorance troubled us in regard to
what the Lord intended to do and what He wanted us to do … We advanced
to boyhood, and still we undoubtedly made some mistakes, which …
generally arise from a …lack of experience. We understand very well,
when we Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-90202937947897790072016-12-30T15:34:00.000-05:002016-12-30T15:34:00.145-05:00Why Is the Gospel Sometimes So Hard to Find?A friend of mine who has struggled mightily to figure out what the Gospel means to him asked the title question a few years ago, and I have thought about it occasionally since then. I have tried to come up with as concise an answer as possible, and the following is my current response:
Because
we, as humans, tend to build hedges about it - often in our deep need
for safety and security.
Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-38702662073001152522016-12-20T00:18:00.000-05:002016-12-20T00:18:02.457-05:00Partnership Is More Important than Rigid Roles
“The Church has nothing to fear from the strength of women. On the
contrary, it desperately needs women--and men, too--who are not trapped
in dysfunctional roles that involve playing out scripts that don’t
really work. Partnership is a mutually supportive relationship that
recognizes and honors both the differences and similarities between men
and women, that draws deeply on the strengths Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-48201120542859845912016-12-16T00:08:00.000-05:002016-12-16T00:08:05.921-05:00The Danger of Living in the Past: A Principle for Personal ConsiderationI was watching a TV show with one of my daughters a while ago, and the following was
a line that I want to share. It has a lot of applications to faith (too many to try to list here), and it highlights one aspect of my own philosophy that
is important to me:
When you live in the past, you lose the present.
It's
not easy - not at all - to let go of many aspects of the past (and the
Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-31700502913075957262016-12-13T00:11:00.000-05:002016-12-13T00:11:04.954-05:00It Is Important to Be Interested in Many Things - and to Understand Many Perspectives
"Suppose one man likes strawberries and
another does not; in what respect is the latter superior? There is no
abstract and impersonal proof either that strawberries are good or that
they are not good. To the man who likes them they are good, to the man
who dislikes them they are not. But the man who likes them has a
pleasure which the other does not have; to that extent his life is more
Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-21448380761457464042016-12-09T00:02:00.000-05:002016-12-09T00:02:21.374-05:00The Samaritans in Our Lives: Some Might Be SurprisingI gave a talk in a ward years ago about charity in which I asked the
congregation to consider, very seriously, what their first reaction
would be, internally, if they were in the middle of the administration
of the sacrament and any of the following people walked into the chapel:
- a drunk man, reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke - a teenage girl with multiple tattoos and body piercings, Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.com2