Enmity and Apathy

It seems that there is a run of the wicked spirit of the devil that is encouraging enmity (hatred and disdain) and apathy (the feelings of not giving a crap either because it doesn't apply to you or that you do not care). I am not sure why such feelings are running rampant only that world leaders are behind such feelings and are encouraging the behavior. As in the example of King Noah (of the book of Mosiah) The leader starts it and the people wanting to be popular and powerful (and rich I might add) encourage it to trickle down.
The need for a righteous leadership is so prevalent that it is not funny any more. Former Secretary of Agriculture, Spencer Kimble said "The Constitution is hanging from a thread". That was back in the '80's at a time when I was just a lad. The workers of socialism, Marxism, Leninism and communism (and for that matter Nazism) are working hard to undermined the last stand of freedom and are desperate to create enmity and apathy of our country. It shows in the events that have transpired in the last few months (perhaps years). World leaders using their powers to create wealth and amass more power then they have ever done before. Thomas Jefferson said that this country would be bound by slavery and a hundred years ago it started. It is now worse. The tea party was over 3% tax now we have over ten times that and it was brought on our selves all because we didn't care or it wasn't about us.
What will happen next to us? Will we fall because of the binds that we put on lady liberty? The election will not come soon enough for this country.

Confer vs. Ordain

I just found out that John the Baptist conferred the power of god on Joseph and Oliver. Well I had to find out what that meant. To confer someone gives then the gift and much like the spirit can be taken away without proper ordinance thus the need to ordain each other to the office and impart the priesthood that each person had for a temporary time. I am not sure as to why this needed to happen as the resurrected John could of done this but it seems that the two had to experience the right of passage by ordaining one another. Much of what Joseph and Oliver did kind of points at that, that they would need to experience all things and everything that came with it, the praise and persecution.

Vampires

Todays topic is on immortality and the beings that we know as immortals, namely vampires. Immortals that have no sense or purpose and wonder the world looking for meaning in their undead lives. While their now ability to roam the eath without fear of natural death and decay, the 'What next" feeling comes of them. I would imagine that this is true for the resurrected. After the judgement and meeting God, the "What next" feeling will kick in. For the Celetrial beings, they know what life is all about "to know thee the only true God (John 17:3)". What of the other beings that are now immortal? They may not what to know God. They may want to feed the body for hundreds of years with relationships and trips to where ever, see the sights and hear the sounds but when you have seen the world, what next? Expand the mind? What happens when you have read all the books, poems and scripts? After several centuries, would you want death because life has lost it meaning. There is no end to the riddle, song, story, etc. You become alone with your thoughts.

For those that are religious and say that you will just serve God (not actually become one because you are one; Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34). For those that believe that you become a mindless drone with no identity among the endless masses of angels, I say why would you want that? Here on earth we have identity, purpose and direction we have an end. We know that we will grow old and that drives us to push ourselves before the end. Careers and families become important because we identify with them. I believe that in our immortal state we will mimic our mortality. Become reacquanted with ourselves and others; recreate what once was to the best of our ability. To those that are not Gods though, I think that the most missed element of our immortality will be the lack of children. All of them will have had grown up and become adults and because there are no children in the after life except for Celetrial beings it will be missed terribly; not at first but eventually. See there will always be an empty part of immortality without becomeing as God is. Who can say how much more will be missed because we become similar to vampires without purpose or direction. Or what direction we would take with no temptation from the bound Satan. We will all find out in the end.

40 days

The Lord does a lot of things in forties, forty years Israel wondered, forty days Moses and Jesus fasted, you catch the drift. Never has the Lord ask me to do something for forty days (or maybe I have not been listening) but He has asked me to write for forty days in a row. I have been attempting to get some book writing done, bloging done and gaming articles done but I have put it off thinking that there is no inspiration here in these hotels. While in prayer, I learned that sometimes it's not where your body is but where your mind is. I have put my mind on things that do not matter and wasted time and energy to do things that suck the living life out of me. I believe that if I take the time to write every day for forty days that something is going to come from it starting today. It should be interesting. Wish me luck.

Israel and Palestine

Like two brothers Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Ruben and Joseph, these two nations are forever going to be haters of each other. Not because they are related but they believe that they are right. But I digress, this discussion is not about the two bickering brothers; I am going to discuss a love story.

The story of Hosea and Gomer is a weird one. See the story goes Hosea is told by the Lord that he is to marry a hooker to make his personal life a similitude to what is going to happen to Israel. All the time that the story goes on we learn that the woman goes back to her old ways and old lovers and says that everything that Hosea has given her (or the world has given her) was always from the lovers and not from the Prophet or God who married her in the first place.

Over time the man has to leave is wife to her own devices and for the longest time she feels abandoned. Then when she is at her lowest, mind you she is still married, he pulls her out.

Now this is a reflection of what is going to happen to God's children, but it seems to me that this story has happened over and over and we have been left to a physical wilderness over and over. Each time we repented and returned to god. Now to tie this all back to the first paragraph. We have wondered from God in a lot of ways, I speak for Christians and Americans. Where is the wilderness now that we need it the most.

I read the story over and over. The prophet who represented God left his wife to her own devices. Our country has been turning to their false gods and strange lovers, claiming that they have given our wealth and power. The god of Israel is no longer part of our main stream but a secret underground movement. I just hope that we can turn around in time. Perhaps we need to lose the very thing that we love before we truly turn back. Time will tel if we will be like Gomer and lose everything or will turn back before becoming naked slaves embarrassed and ashamed like a dirty rotten whore before God.

Lesson 3: Melchizedek and Benjamin

Today I just wanted to take some time to talk about the righteous prophet kings of Israel. For most the most part, being a prophet king has got to be taxing. Even Alma who came later then Benjamin, sure he was not a king but he was a government leader (a chief judge) and he had troubles leading the people and the church because of wickedness. Now I do not know of the condition of the Israelites during Melchizedek's reign but I have read Benjamin's account and you watch as he asks the people to step up and be men and women who love and embrace Christ.
If Benjamin's story was similar to Melchizedek's then to be known as the Prince of Peace meant that he had to really work on the peoples righteousness. There had to be meeting with the people on a daily basis and like Benjamin a lot of public speaking. It is no wonder that someone like Abraham and Mosiah came out of such kingdoms with the spirit burning in their souls and a strong desire to follow Christ that lasted for many generations.
I know that there has been other kings mentioned in the scriptures but they were not prophets (as far as my memory serves) and because of that may of got in some trouble because they were not the mouth piece of God. They had the prophet close but like the Holy Ghost drew close or away based on personal decisions. I know that you are all thinking about David and Salomon but I want to remind you that there were other kings and princes that are not mentioned or briefly mentioned in the scriptures that had access to the prophet and didn't take it.
There has been conquering governments that had Israel in it and they have succeeded because of the righteousness of the king, for example Egypt and Babylon had success because of a righteous people living in the land. The moment that the people left or more importantly righteousness left the government failed. The same is true in the Book of Mormon where people just fell from grace and turn their faces away from the Lord and war, pestilence and famine destroyed a once delight-some people.
Though we do not have a prophet king in our mist, let us look to the example of the children of Israel and be a righteous and delight-some people by doing the basics; praying, reading the scriptures, repenting and partaking of the sacrament. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Lesson 4: Abraham

Abraham was a convert to the church or at least came from a partly active family. Really? Sure. Just look at the facts, his father worshiped other gods (nothing about mother) but some how his family was able to keep the faith. Others in his family were church members (Lot for example) so it goes to say that the link of the religion of Noah had kept something. I wonder how the church survived in that length of time. Certainly during that time there were prophets and possibly apostles, high priests, priests, teachers and deacons, but I believe that it was a hard time. King Melchizedek was lord of the land at the time and was known as the prince of peace and Abraham served him as a military leader and had money and power. So how does a man who has it all and could of followed in his father steps followed the lord. I am reminded of kings in the Book of Mormon who also had power and money followed the Lord as well. King Melchizedek followed possibly the example of Enoch who was king of a city also and that city went to heaven so to follow that example would be as awesome. What a legacy.
Now getting back to Abraham. Here was a man who followed the Lord and honored his king and obeyed the laws of God. Who married his wife (one of three wives that he would have in his life) and hoped for more children only to have one from his first and perhaps his most beloved wife Sarai (later called Sarah by the Lord for her righteousness). What a memorable man who would do anything to be obedient even risk the life of his only son Isaac for the Lord. The man went on some long journeys, married his wife's handmaiden and bore a son who also would become the father of many nations like Isaac, Ishmael.
The one thing that I want to know is what the prophet Abraham did as the prophet of God and what he taught the Hebrew people. Surely he was not a righteous man unto himself but had to teach and uplift the Hebrews to be the people of God. There are so many things that I would like to learn about him.