Scripture Reading

Just 7 pages a day and you can read all the entire Standard Works in one year.

 

In reading the Book of Mormon every morning for breakfast for over 20 years we read the same stories over and over again…some days it seemed like the check list to check off…and many others it was magical and it would apply directly to and change your life.

One busy morning I was overwhelmed with all I had to do in my planner. I had fixed breakfast and with the captive audience I was reading the part when Christ had come to America after his crucifixion. He had taught the people the beatitudes and so many aspects of the gospel that he told the people to ponder the words in their hearts and he would return. After all, we all know He had a lot to do. He had already told Mary, “Touch me not, I have not yet ascended to my Father” and He had said, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold…” to attend to.  Then he was returning to his disciples. But he looked into their eyes of love and longing for Him to stay and He wept…                Then He asked them for their children and He blest them. It taught me right then at that moment that no matter how busy I was I must always take time for my children.

The Book of Mormon is an amazing book. One morning we were reading about Mormon and Moroni. They were losing the battle with the Lamanites. All their families and friends were dead or wounded. The stench was so bad with all the dead bodies. The Lamanites were coming back through the masses and finishing off all of the wounded. Mormon, the father, had been wounded. The scene was opened up so real to us that morning. Mormon was a big man but so was his son Moroni.    I could just hear him, “Dad let me carry you to safety in that cave.” And Mormon, “Son, the plates are heavy, you can’t carry me and the plates, save them. Save all the people that they will affect. Hurry, there isn’t time.” And then, Moronicarried the plates into the cave and watched as they finished off his father.”   Many people lost their lives to bring us the Book of Mormon, I pray that at all costs, we will read it.

In 2010 I decided to read the Entire Standard Works in a year. I did the math which came out to 7 pages per day. I started with the Pearl of Great Price then the Old Testament. I read ‘The First Thousand Years’ by Cleon Skousin for some additional insight. I read 2 additional books along side the book of ‘Isaiah’ for additional insight. For the New Testament, I read another book for additional insight into ‘Revelations.’ The Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon were for fall and winter. I realize that each year of your life you go through different things and have more insight into life and people in general, and thus you read it again with an entirely different perspective than last time. We should read the scriptures on a regular basis for that fact alone. Reading the ‘bad news’ in the paper each day seems so depressing but reading the ‘good news’(that’s what the word ‘gospel’ means) each day gives such a positive outlook on the world. It is through the eyes of the Godhead, our creators, and gives me peace that all things will turn out right under his love and direction. Here are just a few of the insights:

Adam and Eve were grandparents and possibly great grandparents before learning why they were offering sacrifices, they were so excited to call a big family conference to tell their children about the Plan of Salvation that the Angel had taught them. My heart ached for them as all their children left them, moved away and did not believe. Then they were excited to finally have Cain and Abel whom they could teach the Plan of Salvation to from birth. Then how sad they were when one died physically and one died spiritually. Finally they had Seth who looked just like Adam except for age you could tell them apart. (Moses 5)

The first recorded  missionary was Enoch. His word was so powerful that his voice alone could move mountains etc….   (Moses 7:13)

 

Enoch was able to see into other dimensions not visible to the natural eye and was called a ‘seer’ by some and a wild preacher man by others. All the believers moved to the ‘City of Enoch’ and when warriors came to battle against them, Enoch was able to move mountains and rivers and all people were afraid of them. Enoch and his city will return to the ‘New Jerusalem’ in the last days. (Moses 7:62-63)

 

Noah was ten years old when he received the Priesthood. He was 500 years old before he received his mission call to build the Ark. (Genesis 5:32)  It took him 100 years to build it. (Genesis 7:5) He built it on a high mountain and it rained many days before the flood waters reached them. My heart ached for the Noah and his Wife as their wayward daughters, spouses and children were probably outside the Ark knocking to get in and the Lord would not let them. The Lord prepared a ‘Spirit Prison’ for those outside the Ark (Moses 7:38) They were in the Ark one year and 2 days. They took 2 of every animal and 7 of every sacrificial animal – the smell must have been really bad and their daily chores must have been to get rid of the waste from the animals. Ewww!

Abraham’s dad believed in idol Gods and the Priest of the idol God Elkenah tried to sacrifice Abraham to Elkenah (see the picture found with the schroll and Abraham 1:7)) Also the priest of the day would sacrifice righteous children and virgins who didn’t believe in idol Gods. Abraham ran away from that and received the true gospel and knowledge of the Pre-Existence, the Creation, the Universe, how time works, and the Plan of Salvation through the Redeemer with the Urim and Thummim from the Lord – how hard it must have been for Abraham when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his only miracle son that he was able to have when his wife was 90 years old. My heart ached for him in that realization and yet obedience to the truth and relief when a lamb was furnished. How obedient the son was to trust his Father and allow such a sacrifice – however he surely cried and asked his dad to find another animal instead, how hard for Abraham to deny and obey God.

 

 

Solomon found favor with the Lord and when the Lord asked him what he wanted he said ‘wisdom.’ Since he asked that, the Lord also gave him riches and power. In 2010 Solomon would have spent one billion 575 million dollars just for the cedar to build the temple.  Solomon paid for it with a city but the guy didn’t like the city he was giving him so he paid him cash.  He had each city that specialized in something be in charge of that thing. One city was known for ship building, one of horse training, one for war, one for chariots, one for navy etc… Solomon’s yearly income was $8,741,250,000. Queen of Sheba was amazed at the wealth of Solomon. She said that it exceeded the rumors she had heard. A chariot would have been $5000 and a horse would have been $1200 in 2010 since one shekel is ½ ounce of gold. 1 bath = 9 gallons of liquid so a twenty thousand baths of wine is a lot. An LDS temple font holds 10,000 gallons of water but the font in (2 Chronicles 4) holds 16,000 gallons of water and had 12 oxen just like ours, with 3 facing north, south, east and west.

 

Isaiah said that In the Last Days the Lord’s house will be established in the ‘tops of the mountains’ – in Indian language ‘Utah’ literally means ‘tops of the mountains’ where our LDS church headquarters is.   I love how Isaiah describes our day and times. (chapter 2) ‘neither is there any end of their chariots=cars (chapter 16) women make a tinkling with their feet = heels (chap 3) changeable suits of apparel= back in their day they had one outfit to sleep in, work in, dress up in…they didn’t change their clothes that often (chap 5) rise up early in the morning to follow strong drink=alcoholism (chap 5) call evil good and good evil = false advertising and also movies bad guys are portrayed as good guys (chap 5) horses hooks like flint and wheels like a whirlwind = trains (chap 5) roaring like young lions that lay hold of prey=planes. It was also said that 'Men's sins would be shouted from the rooftops = (they did not know how to explain an antennae on top of a roof to bring you the nightly news)

 

The point is that those prophets saw our day and many died to bring us these scriptures that they knew would bring us back to reality of our Eternal purpose on Earth. They knew there would be so many distractions and decisions and choices. They didn’t know the business of the whole world back in that day…it can become overwhelming to know that much.

 

Heavenly Father wants us to return to Him.

We live on Earth with a veil on our eyes which is a limited paradigm. Even with all our sci-fi movies our paradigms cannot stretch that far..only through reading the scriptures, meditation and prayer can we get our paradigms in shape for His coming. I could imagine Him looking at us saying…’do you like that shiny new car??? Well make the Celestial Kingdom and I’ll show you a mode of transportation you could never imagine.’ All that I have is yours to inherit – just stay focused on me instead of listening to all the distractions Satan will try to put in front of you and you’ll get there. Even if you mess up, My son Jesus Christ, died to pay for those sins. Then just stay focused on me. Read my scriptures. Pray. Listen to the Holy Ghost. You’ll know what to do.

 

 

 At the End of My Year of Reading All the Standard Works

My Scripture goal this year was to read 7 pages a day and complete the Standard Works –  by Dec 21^st I had finished that goal and decided to take 2 weeks off of Scripture reading. Dec 23^rd I woke up starving, not for food, but for the Sweet but Powerful Spirit that comes from reading the Lords words. So I opened the ‘Ensign’ Conference Talks from the Lord’s Prophet and Apostles on the Earth today... And…relief… I am full.

 

I am also full of joy because I KNOW JESUS CHRIST more personally and understand that there is no need to fear anything in the world

for HE has overcome the world...

 

 

 

 

Trade Nets in to Follow Christ

A paradigm is the defined as the way you look at something.

for example: We are Earthlings most times caught up viewing Earth as the only way of life and caught up in Earthly pursuits.  Heavenly Father has a much more exalted paradigm of who we can become. We are only here on Earth for a short time by our Loving Heavenly Father’s perspective. Our happiness depends upon our relationship with Jesus Christ, Not our Earthly circumstances.  Hopefully we can change our paradigm and become a Commercial for Christ.

 

When Christ had Peter and Andrew drop their nets where previously there had been no fish and the nets were packed to overflowing…  Christ said "Come Follow Me and I will make you Fishers of Men" Matthew writes, "The two fishermen left their nets and followed him."  What nets do we have that we should give up to Follow Christ?

You can fill in the blanks with your favorite Nets...

NETS	FOLLOWING CHRIST
Work to Support the Family	Spend Time with the Family
Attend Sporting Events	Attend Church Functions
Attend the Movies	Attend the Temple
Watch your favorite TV program	Watch Church Programs/Conference/BYU
Research the Sales - Go Shopping	Research your Genealogy
Read Books and Magazines	Read the Scriptures
Work or play on the Computer	Use the Computer for Genealogy/Church
Busy Schedules	Charity for Family, Neighbors, World
Hold Grudges	Forgive
Develop Talents	Use Talents for Christ
Realize that these Nets or Earthly pursuits are not evil or bad generally and there is a time and a place for them -	Are we choosing to spend time Following Heavenly Pursuits? What on Earth are you doing for Heaven’s Sake?? haha

 

            We have been given Free Agency. We can choose what we want to do with this Earth Life. It has been proven that it takes 21 days to change a habit. Your habits form your character and who you will become.

            President Gordon B. Hinckley in his closing remarks of the Oct General Conference 2002, "I for one have made a stronger resolution within myself to be a better person than I have been in the past. I hope that I will be a little kinder to any I meet who may be in distress. I hope that I will be a little more helpful to those who are in need. I hope that I will be a little more worthy of your confidence. I hope that I will be a better husband, father, grandfather, neighbor, friend.  I hope that I will be a better Latter-day Saint with an increased understanding of the wonderful aspects of this glorious gospel."

If the Prophet of the Lord who uses every waking moment following the Savior wants to become a better person, I know that I need to change my habits and become a better person. I echo his challenge to you when Prophet Hinckley said, "I challenge every one of you to rise to the divinity within you."  I pray that we can change our paradigm to choose wisely the use of time we have left on Earth and Choose Christ. –Patti Miner

Know Your Source - Know God

KNOW YOUR SOURCE / KNOW GOD

Having a higher source is important for true spiritual beauty. This is an essential part of knowing who we are, why we are here and where we are going. With these defined and stable in our minds we can soar to incredible heights. Deep within you in the fathoms of your soul is the fact that you are united to the universe. You belong to the essence of the source from which all things originate. You are a necessity in the entire realm of creation. It would not be complete without you. Truly knowing this gives will give you a natural air of prominence and a vital spiritual force.
I really do not wish to offend those who believe themselves not to be considered "religious". Freedom of choice is a sacred privilege that should be highly respected. Many friends of mine who I grew up with and admire greatly are of different races and beliefs. However, I do have a strong conviction of my belief in God

Planner and other Missionary Stories

PATTI MINER MISSIONARY STORIES: --YOU NEVER KNOW WHO THE SPIRIT WILL TOUCH AS YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE.

Be Aware….Listen to the Spirit….and Open Your Mouth!

I left my planner on an airplane once. My planner was very important as I was traveling a lot at that time and it had every schedule, phone number etc… The next day was Sunday and I got a call from a Stewardess with a southern accent. She started out by saying, “Do you want to know what you’re doing tomorrow?” I was excited and asked if she found my planner. She said yes  and she would fax me the next day and then mail it to me. She hoped I didn’t mind when her and 4 other stewardesses looked at it and loved how I did menu plans and individual dates with each of my kids once a month…then she asked what VT / FHE and Temple meant that I had marked off regularly. After 45 minutes she knew what they meant. As a thank you for sending me back my most important book…I sent her The most important book to me… the Book of Mormon with my testimony in it. 

A month later I got a phone call from a young man who asked if I was the lady who lost her planner on the airplane. I said yes and he said there were 5 stewardesses who had something to tell me. He held the phone up and they all shouted, “We’re getting baptized.”

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When MeKette was still in Primary she wrote her testimony in a Book of Mormon and the Primary Presidency mailed them out to different countries. A year later we got a letter from a man in Africa who had joined the church after receiving MeKette’s Book of Mormon and thanked her for her sweet testimony.

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At the Mrs. America Pageant I had gotten to my room first and was unpacking when Mrs Alabama arrived as my roommate. She dropped her bags and gasped when she saw my MRS UTAH banner. She had an anti-mormon radio station and was her State BAPTIST Women’s  President. She bible bashed for a few minutes and I as I was not expecting it I was quite taken back. Then the spirit told me to stop and tell her my schedule.  I told her how we go to Sunday School and study the Bible. I told her about Primary/Relief Society/Priesthood and the charity that the church does as well as our name is the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints. She then had an “ah-ha” experience and realized we were Christian. After that we would hold early morning prayer with the other contestants (46 of them attended) They called us by our state’s name so -  ALABAMA would praise the Lord in Scripture (she was loud like a full belt preacher) and UTAH would pray (since most did not know how to pray except prayers preachers had written down for them.)

When I arrived home, I got a call from ALABAMA (Katrina White) saying that her and her family and half her radio station had joined the church.

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One day I was preparing to go to a wedding reception when a knock came to the door. It was a young girl selling paintings.  She noticed the painting of  Christ in our living room and asked if I were a Christian. She said she was from Israel and was Jewish. I told her I was LDS and she said someone had given her a Book of Mormon a few weeks earlier. She asked how to find out more about the religion. I told her I could refer her to the missionaries  - just then two missionaries were tracking in the rain down our street (the missionaries never tract down our street) I pointed to them and said, “Like those two missionaries” Since I had a salesman at the door they went to my neighbors house across the street. She asked how someone becomes a missionary. I told her the Prophet of the World, just like Moses in his time, chooses where they should go. She was fascinated and wanted to know more. I invited her inside and ran across the street to get the missionaries.  Upon hearing about her, the missionaries were excited and came right over. They taught her the first discussion and set up an additional appointment.

They came by the next day to thank me for the contact. I gave them the addresses of all the other non-members in our ward that I had had on our activities committee when I used to be the  Ward Activities Chairman. (It is in the handbook that you can have them on your committee.)

Choosing Good over Evil Every Day

Below is one of the most touching videos but also very inspirational and it made me think about good overpowering evil. God has given the greatest gift of free agency to all the world. The only way we can be tested and progress to the next level. We are all here bumping into that free agency of elements, animals and people every day. Our gift to God is to choose Him over and over again, every time we are faced with hard things.
For Men are that they might have Joy...and true Eternal Joy, Hard to Understand that kind of Joy, God's Joy,
is Eternal Progression.
Even when we choose poorly, God sent Jesus to pay for our poor choices.
Then we repent and start fresh choosing God again....every day.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865592068/One-year-since-Sandy-Hook-Evil-did-not-win--video.html

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD”

 

I was reading an article in the newspaper in which they described that in the Pioneer times each woman had a crock with sourdough culture in it. She had to work it every day because there was no fridge to put it in, so she had to make bread every day.  Pioneer mothers would usually knead the dough on the wagon seat because the back of the wagon was full and the seat was the only clear, flat spot.

The pioneers made their own yeast using potatoes. They would borrow some yeast (a start as it was called) meaning a little bit of a yeast culture, and then add potatoes and sugar so that the yeast would grow.  As long as they kept the yeast alive, it would continue to multiply and they had a good supply of yeast.

 

This article made me think, what if the pioneer woman did not make bread that day and let the yeast die? Then their life source would die. Each one of us may not have to make bread every single day to keep our yeast alive, but we do need to read scriptures, attend the temple, have family home evening and a collection of other commandments to obey in order to keep our spiritual yeast alive so our spiritual life source does not dry up. We each must have our DAILY BREAD OF LIFE.

 

Thus Jesus prayer to Heavenly Father applies to us this day with our righteous works,

Father Give us This Day our Daily Bread of Righteousness and may we do the works so that our spiritual bread will grow and never die.

 

Patti Miner

SPIRITUAL MATHEMATICS

SPIRITUAL MATHEMATICS

 

I believe there is a Mathematic formula for Faith and receiving divine guidance.

D&C 8:2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

(The Mind + the Heart = The condition the Holy Ghost can Communicate to you with your Whole Presence)

 D&C 88:15 And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.
(Thus the Spirit Plus the Body Equals the Soul of Man.)

Technology is amazing. To paraphrase Amy Jensen (BYU Communications)
“Children and People in our Physical Presence are more important than Cell Phones....In Mass Communication Technology today we can project our souls across vast geographies. For example: My texting or emailing before or during a Meeting has an effect on my presence here. My iPhone allows me to divide my presence. While I may be seated here…part of my soul is back at the office with the email and another part of my soul is in the presence of the company I am texting miles away from the location of my body. Such dispersement of my Soul has prevented me on occasion of participating with Human Beings with my complete presence.”

Multi-tasking divides our presence. We need our complete presence right here and in the present time of now to truly experience our spiritual and physical life to the fullest.

We are here to develop our Faith thru our Sacraments to become like Heavenly Father.

 “A Sacrament could be any one of a number of gestures or acts or ordinances that Unite us with God and His limitless powers.  We are imperfect and mortal. He is Perfect and Immortal. But from time to time – indeed as often as possible and appropriate – we find ways and go to places and create circumstances where we can unite symbolically with Him, and in so doing gain access to His power.”  -Jeffery R Holland 1988

 

I believe there is a Mathematic formula for Faith and receiving divine guidance.

Body + the Mind + the Spirit = the Entire Soul Receiving guidance through the Holy Ghost…Combined with the Doctrine of the Sacrament which embodies the Atonement of Jesus Christ…Equals Faith with which all things are possible

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST

“The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts so we no longer have the desire to do evil.”

“The Holy Ghost will come to us only when we are faithful and desire help from this heavenly messenger.”

“The Holy Ghost sanctifies us to prepare us for God’s presence.”

“…And because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.”

Moroni 8: 26

“To be worthy to have the help of the Holy Ghost, we must seek earnestly to obey the commandments of God. We must keep our thoughts and actions pure.”

“The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It can bring peace to our hearts and a deeper understanding of the things of God.”

“…I am a man; and a man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true.; And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.” Alma 18: 34-35 

When You Have the Spirit

1. You feel happy, calm and clear minded.
2. Nobody can offend you.
3. You are glad when others succeed.
4. You feel in control – you don’t lose your temper easily; You don’t feel uncontrollable passion; You don’t overeat, or sleep too much; you don’t feel uncontrollably drawn to sensational entertainment
5. You feel like praying.
6. You wish you could keep all the Lord’s commandments.
7. You are glad to attend your meetings and Participate in Church Activities.
8. You wouldn’t mind everybody seeing what you’re doing.
9. You are eager to be with people and want to make them happy.
10. You feel generous.
11. You think about the Savior often and lovingly, you want to know Him better.
12. You feel confident and are glad to be alive.

When You Do Not Have the Spirit

1. You feel unhappy, depressed, confused, and frustrated
2. You feel possessive, self-centered, or resentful of demands made of you.
3. You are easily offended.
4. .You envy or resent the success of others.
5. You avoid people, especially members of your family, and you are critical of Family Members and Church Authorities.
6. You become secretive and evasive
7. You don’t want to pray
8. You find the commandments bothersome, restrictive, or senseless.
9. You feel emotions & appetites so strongly that you fear you cannot control them; such as hate, jealousy, anger, fatigue, hunger, lust
10. You hardly ever think of the Savior, He seems irrelevant to your life, or worse, part of a confusing system that seems to work against you.
11. You get discouraged easily and wonder if life is really worth it.
12. You don’t want to go to Church, to go home teaching, or take the sacrament. You wish you had another church job or no job at all.

THE ATONEMENT IS THE SEED

Page 518 of ‘Jesus the Christ’ explains that Certain Greeks were visiting Christ.

To them Jesus testified that the hour of his death was near at hand. They were surprised and asked why there must be a sacrifice.

His answer was profound and was likened unto a seed.  “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

After thinking about this…I thought….So therefore, if the fruit stay on the branch it will just stay there alone and do nothing good.

But if it falls to the ground and is sacrificed into a seed, it may be buried into the soil for a time but it will multiply and prosper and increase into another tree and more.

Christ had to be sacrificed for the Universe (us) to multiply and prosper and increase.

Therefore, we must be buried in toil (not soil) for us to sacrifice our time unto the Lord in his service so that we may multiply and prosper and increase.

It is founded upon a UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE.                            -Patti Miner

 Brad Wilcox Book “The Continuous Atonement” quotes:

• I’ve been told the gospel is here to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
• We have a Savior who covers us, a Redeemer who changes us and a Good Shepherd who is willing to go in search of us again and again continuously.
• The new Priest who had to say the prayer over and over and over again – so even though the Sacrament prayers had to be perfect, and that expectation could not be lowered, the priest was given a 2^nd chance, and a 3^rd and as many times as it took.
• Most have heard that you have to do your best and once you’ve done your best, Christ makes up the difference…He doesn’t just make up the difference…He makes ALL the difference. He requires us to repent, but not just as part of paying justice – only as part of helping us to change.
• The Atonement cannot be used up, it doesn’t run out or expire. There is nothing on it that says ‘Best used by this date’ It will always be in force in our lives.
• Were the 5000 that Christ fed ever hungry again? Was the sea calmed by Christ’s hand stirred by future storms? Yes  Repentance is a process. It is continuous.

All Creation Speaks of God

ALL CREATION SHOW THAT THERE IS A GOD

Here are at least 16 scientific reasons in the creation of our Earth 

that if off even a degree would not sustain life. 

These scientific facts alone should indeed prove 

that there had to be a great design on the part of a supreme creator.

1. The Earth must be positioned exactly where it is in the Milky Way and have two gas giants; Jupiter and Saturn to protect the Earth from cataclysmic destruction.
2.  If we were 5% closer to the Sun we would have a runaway Green House Effect like Venus up to 900 degrees
3.  If we were 20% farther we would have carbon dioxide clouds creating ice similar to Mars.
4. If our Sun was not the size it is and was smaller, (like 90% of the stars in the galaxy) Earth would be locked into the Sun’s rotation thus one side hot and one side cold.
5. If our Moon was not stabilized at 23.5 degree tilt it would not allow the seasons and also have cataclysmic destruction.
6. If our Earth was spinning too fast or too slow, or our magnetic field was weaker it would allow the solar wind to strip away our atmosphere.
7. If our Earth was a circular orbit and not a ‘near circular orbit’ it would not be ideal for human life as well.
8. The liquid on our planet is perfect to absorb and retain heat from the sun to regulate the Earth’s surface temperature, protect it from harmful radiation and yet
9. The liquid is capable of transporting nutrients to all living things.
10. The liquid water on our planet differs from most other liquids on other planets – it is most dense at 4 degrees Celsius and not as solid as most planets liquid
11. Our atmosphere is the perfect mix of oxygen and nitrogen, enough for respiration and fire, but not explosive. 
12. Strong magnetic field requires molten metal core- ours is iron, and protects us from radiation. If the Earth had a smaller magnetic field it would be too weak and would allow the solar wind to strip away our atmosphere and turn it into a barren wasteland like Mars.
13. Our Atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation, yet it allows only the special radiation crucial for life to come through
14. Plate Tectonics regulate the interior temperatures and re-cycles the carbon and mixes chemical elements essential for life. It also shapes the continents.
15. The Strength of Gravity has to be exact to hold us to the planet yet allowing our movement.
16. The specific Electromagnetic frequencies that enable plants to manufacture food –it represents less than 1 trillionth of a trillionth of the Universe’s normal range of  Electromagnetic emissions. It protects us from the solar winds and radiations. There is even a back up barrier in case any harmful emissions get through the first one. Then those emissions are directed towards the two poles to protect the rest of the land mass. (Sometimes we can see them - Thus the Northern Lights) 

Charles Darwin said, “If you believe in God your entire life and there isn’t a God, you have wasted a lifetime. If you don’t believe in God your entire life and there is, you have wasted an eternity.”

 I know there is a God who created this Earth and is my Heavenly Father and I love Him very much and I know that He loves me and each and everyone one of us…His children.

Sincerely

Patti Miner

PARABLE OF THE SOWER

LAW OF AVERAGES / SALESMAN/MISSIONARY WORK

They didn’t have tractors back in the day………they had a guy with a bag of seeds called   ‘the sower’

This ‘sower’ was WISE – he had knowledge and was smart to use his knowledge therefore…wise.

This ‘sower’ had EXCELLENT SEEDS – the Gospel is the best seeds that I know of.

He was HIGHLY AMBITIOUS = he went to work.

1- seeds fell by the WAYSIDE = so you have a new investigator and on Friday he tells you that he is excited to come to church on Sunday…but he doesn’t come…what happened?  The BIRDS done got him.  Perhaps his brother-in-law said, ‘wait you can’t miss poker Sunday with the boys.’ His plumber says, “Wait, I heard that was the church of the devil.” . What do you do? You could chase the birds…but if you leave the field you aren’t planting anymore… What did the sower do?

HE KEPT ON SOWING

2- seeds fell in STONY PLACES  = so you have a new convert that just joined the church and comes for 3 Sundays and then doesn’t show up any more after that…you say “I was sure he’d last at least a month?…what happened?  SCORCHED, FIRST HOT DAY WITHERS AND DIES…not fellowshipped. What do you do? Get the members to fellow ship them…. What did the sower do?

HE KEPT ON SOWING

3- seeds fell upon THORNS = new convert joins and CHOKED..TOO BUSY WITH THE CARES OF LIFE…deceit of worldly riches instead of spiritual riches, too busy with worldly pleasures, boating, vacations. Some people Major in Minor things. What did the sower do?

HE KEPT ON SOWING

4- seeds fell on GOOD GROUND and brought forth GOOD FRUIT =  joined the church, had a testimony and stayed active…= if you keep sowing long enough you will be successful.

The law of averages were even displayed with the GOOD FRUIT...some produced 30% some 60% and some 100%.....

Learn to Develop your Super Power -FAITH

Each of us have Spiritual Gifts or Super Powers if you will that have been given to us by a loving Heavenly Father.  We should study and learn all we can to develop these Super Powers.
If you don't already know what those Super Powers are.....Most members of the LDS church have been given a Patriarchal Blessing which clearly tells you which gift or gifts you have been given.
Now it is up to you to 

If you choose not to develop them...it is like the analogy of being on an all paid cruise ship and not realizing that all the food is included..so you pack some cans of soup or beans and eat that food instead.

Every Gift is HUGH....for Example: Say you've been given the gift of Faith...

Just one example of a gift: With the power of FAITH the size of a Mustard Seed...You could move a mountain. We can seek for all gifts .

WHAT IS FAITH:

Faith is an action and a power.

Alma 32:21 “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true”

So whenever we work toward a worthy goal we exercise faith. We show our hope for something that we cannot yet see. 

Faith is like a muscle that we need to exercise in order to develop. If we use this muscle it will grow strong but if we do not use it, it will become weak and unable to move.

Other thoughts on FAITH

Ø Faith is the moving cause of all action both temporal and spiritual

Ø Faith is not only a principle of action but of power

Ø Faith is a great governing principle which has power, dominion and authority over all things.

Some simple examples of faith:

·        I learned about Faith from the Wizard of Oz – Everyone had faith in the Wizard and were quite disappointed when they found out that he was just a man. In the end, Dorothy finds out that the ruby slipper she wore had the power to help her get back home, but she didn’t believe or have faith that it would work until she had conquered the wicked witch.

·        In the movie Star Wars Yoda is the master of Faith (the Force) where he pulls the ship out of the water – Luke says, “I don’t believe it” Yoda says, “That young Skywalker is why you couldn’t do it’ 

·        Norman Vincent Peale wrote in his very famous book, The Power of Positive Thinking, which was all about how if you believed in something, you could make it happen.

·        So if you WANT anything, you have to BELIEVE in it- Work on it (applied wisdom) and that gives you FAITH. So what is it that is the most important thing that we should want Faith in?

But the true Power of Faith comes when we develop our Faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the Most Important Faith we must have.

Faith in Jesus: Article of Faith #4 states that “We believe the first principles and ordinances are first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1-    He created the Earth  - John 1:1-3, 14 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God, and the Word was a God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”      (Jesus the Christ p 6) We affirm, on the authority of Holy Scripture, that the Being who is known among men as Jesus of Nazareth and by all who acknowledge His Godhood as Jesus the Christ, existed with the Father prior to birth in the flesh; and that in the preexistent state He was chosen and ordained to be the one and only Savior and Redeemer of the human race.

2-    He came to Earth in the Flesh and performed many miracles. One miracle was that He walked on water, Peter walked on water while he had his eyes focused on the Savior, but when he looked away at the wind or water, that is when he began to sink

3-    Right after hearing that His beloved cousin John the Baptist was beheaded, he was grieving and exhausted so he went to an island alone. The people had followed Him and though His disciples wanted the people to leave, Jesus bid them stay and fed all 5000 men (not counting women and children) with only2 fishes and 5 loaves.

4-    Jesus suffered all things to pay the price so we do not have to go through them. I had a Seminary teacher once who tried to explain the Atonement. He held up a flashlight and said this represents the Light within us. This toothpick represents our sins. He held up the flashlight in front of the toothpick and it cast quite a big shadow. Then he turned on an overhead projector and said this represents the Savior’s light. If you take that same sin or toothpick and put it in front of a more powerful light such as an overhead projector, the rays of light are so great that it bends around the toothpick and thus no longer casts a shadow. So it is with Christ’s light which increased with the Atonement as to overshadow the sins and cares of the entire population of all mankind. Thus Faith in our Savior is incredibly important to attaining our Salvation and Eternal Increase. 

5-    Mosiah 3:17  “There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ the Lord Omnipotent

BELIEF IS NOT ENOUGH, WHAT CAN WE DO TO DEVELOP FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

James 2: 17 “Even so Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”  So how do we do we do that?

Well, When my internet went down the other day I called for assistance and they said to check the power cords, reboot the battery.

When you Search and read the Holy Scriptures, I don’t know that it matters the page number or story you are on….I feel that it is like a giant power socket that you have just plugged into. It puts you in the right paradigm/frame of mind to see the world with glasses from the Light of Christ. This helps your problems, your world, your life to come into focus so you have the knowledge of what to do.

Ponder – Take time to think about what you read, make it real and listen to the Holy Spirit and how it can apply to you in your life.  Don’t turn on that tv, radio or other reading material too soon before receiving what it is the Lord would have you know.

In war one of the biggest tactics for the enemy to post is to knock out the communication of the troops with their leaders so they are isolated and do not know the current plan of action. That is what Satan would have us do. He would love to have us fill up our lives with things that keep us from communicating and building our faith in our Savior, Head and Leader Jesus Christ. Oh these things that we may be involved in may be good in and of themselves but sometimes they just take up our time and prevent us from knowing our current plan of action for these the last days in where there is so much of the Lords work to do to prepare for His coming. And That is of ultimate importance.” Thus we need to communicate with our Leader, Commander in Chief, Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the connection of the Holy Ghost and we need to…

Pray. We need to directly communicate with our Father in Heaven. The connection was paid for by our Savior Jesus Christ.

Just one example of a gift: With the power of FAITH the size of a Mustard Seed...You could move a mountain. We can seek for all gifts .

So what are you waiting for....MOVE THAT MOUNTAIN!!

Develop your DIVINE POTENTIAL and become a SUPER POWER for the LORD.

Family History

The three fold mission of the church is to perfect the saints, do missionary work and to redeem the dead…I’d like to talk about redeeming the dead.

When I was 16 years old, I had a series of dreams that disturbed me so much that I would wake up crying.  On the third night after this same dream, I knelt down to pray and ask Heavenly Father what the dream meant. Here is the dream and the interpretation:

In the dream I would wake up in the middle of the night and walk down our hallway. There I would come to a door with many chains and locks on it. I searched to find a large set of many keys on an enormous key ring in my dresser drawer. I would try one key after another to find the right key to the right lock. Finally I had unlocked them all until the chains came off.  When the door opened I found a set of stairs. There at the bottom of the stairs, I found many animals crammed into a tiny room crying to get out. As I walked down I discovered that I knew these animals, they were my beloved pets that I had cared for as a small child. There was my rabbit Jungle Bunny and his family, Toby our Great Dane, Mike our Cocker Spaniel and many others with their families. They were so malnourished that you could see their ribs.  I hurried up the stairs to find them some food. In the kitchen were mounds and mounds of pet food. I ran back to let my beloved pets free to partake of all the food in the kitchen. Before I could reach them, I would wake up over come with guilt that I hadn’t helped them sooner to relieve their suffering.

Upon asking the Lord what the dream meant, I received the following interpretation:

The dresser in the Library represented doing Family Research where I had to find the right keys to unlock the door to my beloved ancestors that I knew and loved in the Pre-
Existence before this life.  We were close and cared for each other. We made promises to help each other here on Earth.  They would lay a firm foundation of faith and freedom and since I was coming in the latter days I could unlock their keys of bondage by doing family research and performing their eternal life saving ordinances. The mounds of food were the blessings of exaltation of which they are spiritually starving for right now.

I believe that we need to search out our family members who have gone before us and help them to further their light and knowledge and make sacred covenants to the Lord.

I was able to do the Family History work for my Uncle who was the only member of the church in his family.

It took several years of submitting the family names to the temple, printing cards and asking friends and family to help me complete the work. One year I  gave the completed book with all his family lines,  as far as I could go, to my Uncle Dad Darel for Christmas. He was overcome cried with such a tender joy. He died two months later and I know he went back as a hero for his family.

One of my Genealogy Stories is in the book "True Miracles With Genealogy" compiled by Anne Bradshaw...You can buy her books on Amazon.