Saturday, July 29, 2006

   Blueberries!
"Brethren, it is in doing--not just dreaming--that lives are blessed, others are guided, and souls are saved. 'Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves' (James 1:22), counseled James."
~ Thomas S. Monson, "Do Your Duty--That Is Best," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 59

"We perhaps need to snatch happiness in little pieces, learning to recognize the elements of happiness and then treasuring them while they last."
~ President James E. Faust, Ensign, Oct. 2000, 2

Alma 32
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own alikeness.
32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
[...]
35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is alight; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your aground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

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Well, guys, this won't be long. But I'm alive and well, and here we have some words of scripture. God be with you--may you recognize and accept His and Jesus Christ's love and blessings, including the Atonement and Their Holy Spirit's guidance. Love! Take care.

Pocket glomps!

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Fact of the day:

A grown mockingbird is gray and white, with a white stripe on either side of its tail and white "windows" or rectangles on its wings.

And for Night Shade2: God's true church is that which He established at the beginning of the world, with Adam and Eve. It contains His Gospel that existed ever before the world did and will continue to exist through all eternity. It is this Gospel that is part of the truth of Christ's Atonement. And it is now in His true Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In my Lord Jesus Christ's holy name, I bear witness of this. Amen.
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Friday, July 28, 2006

   ^_^ Raining....
Mosiah 26:3
And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

We have to try the Gospel. If it bears good fruit, it is good. But we have to put forward some faith to gain God's blessings. Otherwise, we take them for granted.

1 Kings 19:11-16
And he [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus[...]
[...]and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

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Equus: No problem, Night Shade2. The Church's history goes even further back, of course, but as Refi-chan pointed out, this last Monday was Pioneer Day, a day for remembering the pioneers and their sacrifices for this great work. There are many pioneers for God's work throughout history in different areas, to His glory and our good. For God's glory is our salvation, after this imperfect world.

"It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life, often in his own family, and many of us pioneer daily in trying to establish a gospel foothold in distant parts of the world."

~ Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Faith of the Pioneers," Ensign, July 1984, 3


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Fact of the day: Warm air can hold more water than cold air. That, I think, is part of the whole thing about cold fronts, warm fronts, and rain--as well as maybe how clouds hitting mountain produce rain. If the clouds are pushed up in the atmosphere, I think they get colder--making them unable to hold as much water. Hence, rain.

(Thanks to this fact of the day from my biology teachers and Dad.)

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God be with you. He and Jesus Christ love you, remember that. Seek Their Holy Spirit and guidance. Love and faith.

"The
scriptural way of attaining the gift of the Holy Ghost is by baptism, and
by laying on of hands."

~ Joseph Smith. Nauvoo, Illinois. April 1, 1842. History of the Church, 4:579


Pocket hugs.
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Thursday, July 27, 2006

   Thanks, guys.
"This month, we commemorate the historic trek of the Mormon pioneers who, 130 years ago, left the beautiful city of Nauvoo, Illinois, and their comfortable homes to escape their persecutors and march 2300 kms. across a hostile wilderness in order to worship their God according to the dictates of their own conscience. In July of 1847, they reached the Great Salt Lake Valley and founded the city which is now the headquarters of Christ's church on earth.
"It is not enough merely to observe these various anniversaries, but we must recommit and rededicate ourselves to uphold the convictions and the principles upon which the blessings we enjoy are predicated. We, too, must be prepared to sacrifice, where necessary, to keep our freedoms inviolate. My father used to say: 'The true way to honor the past is to improve upon it.'
"Therefore, we should love God more. We should serve our fellowmen better. We should keep all the commandments. We should be better prepared as parents to teach our children to pray and to walk uprightly before the Lord, and to assume their responsibilities.
"We should be constantly striving for improvement of ourselves and our surroundings."

~ N. Eldon Tanner, "Pioneers Are Still Needed," Tambuli, July 1977, 1

John 3:16-17
It is true.

I just thought of something. Sherlock Holmes states that there is hope to be had from the flowers, like the rose--something added and extra to life. Such a something could only come from a good God. I think the same is true, and maybe more obviously, of bird songs. Many bird songs are to tell other birds, "This is my place." But the songs are beautiful to listen to. They are not harsh or aggressive, at least not to us. Why need they be so lovely?

Because they are the creations of a good and just God. That beauty is extra.

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I wanted to thank my friends for supporting me on MyO. And especially Refi-chan and LadyLenaJade. Thanks also to DarkLynx9701 and demario for visiting yesterday. (By the way, DarkLynx, Dach is one of the new guys.)

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Fact of the Day
Birds have multiple sounds, actually.

"Songs[...]are the most distinctive vocalizations of most species, since birds sing to establish territories and to create and maintain pair bonds.
"Calls are generally shorter and simpler[...]and each species has a variety of different calls used for different communication purposes."

(Thanks to my Mom and to The Sinbley Guide to Birds from the National Audubon Society, (c) 2000, pp 13-14, for this fact.)
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Hi-za!
When we have trials in our life, they provide an encouragement for us to improve ourselves--to rely on the Lord and to become better people with His help.
(Inspired by a quote from James E. Faust, "Refined in Our Trials," Ensign, Feb. 2006, 4)

"I take you back to the general conference of October 1856. On Saturday of that conference Franklin D. Richards and a handful of associates arrived in the valley. They had traveled from Winter Quarters with strong teams and light wagons and had been able to make good time. Brother Richards immediately sought out President Young. He reported that there were hundreds of men, women, and children scattered over the long trail from Scottsbluff to this valley. Most of them were pulling handcarts. They were accompanied by two wagon trains which had been assigned to assist them. They had reached the area of the last crossing of the North Platte River. Ahead of them lay a trail that was uphill all the way to the Continental Divide with many, many miles beyond that. They were in desperate trouble. Winter had come early. Snow-laden winds were howling across the highlands of what is now western Nebraska and Wyoming. Our people were hungry, their carts and their wagons were breaking down, their oxen dying. The people themselves were dying. All of them would perish unless they were rescued.
"I think President Young did not sleep that night. I think visions of those destitute, freezing, dying people paraded through his mind.
"The next morning he came to the old Tabernacle which stood on this square. He said to the people:
" 'I will now give this people the subject and the text for the Elders who may speak. . . . It is this. . . . Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably many are now seven hundred miles from this place, and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. The text will be, "to get them here."
" 'That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people.
" 'I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day, for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons. I do not want to send oxen. I want good horses and mules. They are in this Territory, and we must have them. Also 12 tons of flour and 40 good teamsters, besides those that drive the teams.
" 'I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains' (in LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, Handcarts to Zion [1960], 120-21). . . .
"Wonderful sermons have been preached from this pulpit, my brethren and sisters. But none has been more eloquent than that spoken by President Young in those circumstances."
~ Gordon B. Hinckley "Reach with a Rescuing Hand," Ensign, Nov. 1996, 85-86


Remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you.

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Equus: DarkLynx9701 is going to start posting a fanfic on her site, just so you know.

Xihuitl: And LadyLenaJade seems to be feeling better. We hope so.

Kurama-clone: If you haven't already, please visit Miss Refi's site and participate in their slumber party.

Kyo-clone: You're actually telling people about that? Didn't they subject the original you to one?

Kurama-clone: ^^; Well, yes, or at least one of us.

Equus: We could do you, Kyo-clone, but you'd need a wig.

Kyo-clone scrambles out of the room.

Xihuitl: Equus.

Equus: ^^ Heh. Sorry. Kyo-clone!

Haru-clone: Here's something for Emeraulde.



Haru-clone: Here are your pocket hugs and pocket glomps.

Xihuitl: All pocket hugs and glomps are certified cat and cow free. God be with you--remember, He and Jesus Christ always love you! Have a good day. ^_^

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Fact of the day:
A nanometer is one-millionth the size of a millimeter.

(Thanks to Dach from church for this fact of the day. ^_^)

God and Jesus Christ love you! They've given us beauty in this life, too.


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Thursday, July 20, 2006

"Priesthood blessings are the great equalizer. Those blessings are the same for men and women, for boys and girls; they are the same for married and single, rich and poor, for the intellectual and the illiterate, for the well-known and the obscure.
"I am grateful that through the infinite fairness and love of God, all men and women were given equal partnership, gifts, blessings, and potential through priesthood ordinances and spiritual gifts. Because of the priesthood, which is woven in and around and through our lives, every power, every covenant we need to do our life's work and walk back to our heavenly home has been poured out upon our heads."
~ Julie B. Beck, "An Outpouring of Blessings," Ensign, May 2006, 13

"All of us need the strength that comes from daily reading of the scriptures. Parents must have a knowledge of the standard works to teach them to their children. A child who has been taught from the scriptures has a priceless legacy. Children are fortified when they become acquainted with the heroic figures and stories of the scriptures such as Daniel in the lions' den, David and Goliath, Nephi, Helaman and the stripling warriors, and all the others.
"Having prayer, scripture study, and meals together gives incredibly important time to talk and listen as parents and children, brothers and sisters."
~ James E. Faust, "Enriching Family Life," Ensign, May 1983, 41

"My counsel to the members of the Church is to support the President of the Church, the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve, and other General Authorities with our whole hearts and souls. If we do, we will be in a safe harbor."

~ James E. Faust, "Called and Chosen," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 54
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Wednesday, July 19, 2006

One more.
2 Ne. 25:26
And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

^_^ Jaa ne.
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   A note.
Thanks and all praise be to God! He has given us all our blessings, including life and all that we have.

Mosiah 15

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—
9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.
10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?
11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.
12 For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?
(And He wants us all to accept Him thus, to become His seed.)
13 Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed.
14 And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!
16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!
18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;
19 For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished.
20 But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead.
21 And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called.


Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ heal us and help us as we put our faith and trust in Them to let Them do so. In our Lord Jesus Christ's holy name, be true, amen.

Beautiful. Let's help each other.

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Equus: I've been doing a lot of reading. I'm on a story sabbatical, in part to help me focus on other important things that I tend to neglect. And part of the time I took away from fantasy and such, too. Which meant I got to read Sherlock Holmes and Cadfael mysteries. I've also been reading Redwall books. I skip and skim, since I'm trying to stay away from violence, but the stories and the characters are great. I thank God for His gifts to us and those who use them well.

Xihuitl: As for violence, Equus understands that sometimes it is necessary to protect life, liberty, religion, family, home, country, etc. But also it is so easy to get caught up in the adrenaline rush and the glamorized, unrealistic entertainment portrayal of violence--and anger against one's fellow man. So she's backed off.

Equus: Love and hugs. Oh, and yeah. (goes out of room) Come on.

K-c: No.

Equus: Kyo-clone, come on! (drags him into the room) We found him! (smiles and nudges K-c)

Kyo-clone: -.- Here are your pocket hugs. Have a nice day.

Equus: Isn't he cute? We love you all!

Xihuitl: Bye. God be with you, His love and warmth enfold you, and receive His guidance in all--school, work, family, social, and self. Love and hugs.

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Fact of the day: Slat fans are the style you'll almost always see now, those fans that fold up into themselves and can be "snapped" open. But they didn't come about until the time of Japan.

(Thanks to DarkLynx9701 for this fact.)
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Saturday, July 15, 2006

Hi.
Mosiah 9:17

Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

The Lord will help us all when we turn to Him. He blesses us with miracles and with strength and love and each other. In our Christ Jesus's holy name, amen.

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Kurama-clone: I would like to make an announcement.



Emeraulde: What does that mean?

Kurama-clone: It means that Miss Equus's site has been visited over 1,000 times, including her own visits.

Equus: ^/^ Yes, that's true. But still, they weren't all me. ^_^

Haru-clone: Miss Equus would like to thank all of you for visiting. Jing is coming along well. He's gotten over much of his shyness, especially for the family. He likes to play games with the other dogs and sit by his humans to get his ears scratched.

Xihuitl: And he has shown great working BC instincts. He is a cutie.

Equus: God be with you all, and we love you! I'm on a story sabbatical, but I'll try to get a piccie of Xihuitl and myself done--not to mention the pic of Emeraulde. ^^; I've never actually said what he is, have I?

Emeraulde: That's all right.

Kurama-clone: You have your pic today of pocket hugs or pocket glomps. ^_^ Kyo-clone would be handing them out, but he and Kakashi-clone have discovered some new territory and are adding it to their map.

Equus: Isn't that sweet of them? Sano! (runs off at the sound of a knock)

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Fact of the day: With horses, you don't breed palominos to get more palominos. The color is actually a mix of chestnut and cremello. I don't know if that mix will always give a palomino (especially the "perfect" palomino) but two palominos won't always give a palomino.

Love, hugs, be strong in the faith, and God and Jesus Christ love with you!
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Tuesday, July 4, 2006

   Happy Fourth of July!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God our Heavenly Father's one true church on the earth today. Believe and have faith, and be strong. Let's help each other. God and Jesus Christ love us and want us to come home to Them. In my Lord Jesus Christ's holy name, amen.

To learn more. ^_^

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Fact of the day: Smaller dogs tend to live longer, as do wild animals in captivity (if taken care of--fewer dangers, probably).

LOVE!
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Friday, June 30, 2006

Hello....
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you, and your are Heavenly Father's child. That is worth more than all the riches and fame in the world, or any person's opinion of you. Believe and be strong and true to Christ. Love, and let's help each other. God loves us all that much.

Believe.

Be true and saved.

"In my opinion, the teaching, rearing, and training of children requires more intelligence, intuitive understanding, humility, strength, wisdom, spirituality, perseverance, and hard work than any other challenge we might have in life. This is especially so when moral foundations of honor and decency are eroding around us. For us to have successful homes, values must be taught, and there must be rules, there must be standards, there must be absolutes."
~ President James E. Faust, "A Thousand Threads of Love," Ensign, Oct. 2005, 3


"My solemn declaration to you is that the Father and the Son did in very fact appear to the Prophet Joseph Smith, himself a young man called by God from your very age group [teenage years]. I testify that these divine beings spoke to him, that he heard Their eternal voices, and he saw Their glorified bodies. (See Joseph Smith---History 1:24-25.) That experience was as real in its own setting as the Apostle Thomas's was when the Savior said to him, 'Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: . . . be not faithless, but [be] believing' (John 20:27)."

~ Jeffrey R. Holland, "To Young Women," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 30

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Just a quick note. Hi, everyone! God be with you all, and Jesus Christ, and Their Holy Spirit and love. ^_^ www.lds.org Let's help each other in God's work!

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Fact of the day: Turtles and tortoises are different. Tortoises are land dwellers (like the Galapagos tortoise) whereas turtles live in water, or at least more so. Right? ^^;
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