Saturday, April 14, 2007

   Hi!
I'm going to try entering a talent show with an original song. Wish me luck!

God be with you all. ^_^ Jesus Christ loves you. Follow Their light.
Comments (3) | Permalink

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

   Spring is here!
"Even when the armaments of war ring out in deathly serenade . . . there stands immovable, reassuring, comforting, and with great outreaching love the quiet figure of the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world."
~ President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2003, 81

Mosiah 27
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
[...]
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
[...]
28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was cracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
[...]
35 And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.
36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
37 And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glad you liked the quotes, NightShade2. And yep, Conference was good, Refi-chan. And Kit-kun got to attend and listen for the first time! Whoot! He liked it. ^_^ I have a new job, and my car is having issues. Love and hugs, pocket hugs, and remember:

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and will watch out for you. Let Them help ^_^ and do what is right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mosiah 28
2 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.
3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.
[...]
17 Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.
Comments (3) | Permalink

Friday, March 30, 2007

Lot's a looooong quotes. ^___^
"How do we know [the] truths [of the gospel]? How can you confirm their validity? You see around you great confusion regarding the nature of God, His teachings, and the purpose of life. How then does God, our Heavenly Father, guide His children on earth? How does He communicate truth and His will so that faithful, believing children can make the right choices and receive the blessings Heavenly Father wants them to have? I will explain.
"From the foundation of this earth, God our Father has consistently followed His plan. . . . Adam labored to share our Father's plan with his children and descendants. Many believed and were blessed. . . .
"Prophets such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses renewed the truth for their dispensation. . . . In the meridian of time Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God, was born on earth. He restored the truth and ministered with love and compassion. He established His Church again on earth with apostles and prophets. . . .
"On repeated occasions Jesus Christ has personally appeared to select individuals. Yet there is only one supernal, singular instance of which we have knowledge that God the Father Himself appeared in person. This was done with His precious Holy Son, Jesus Christ, to an audience of one. That one was young Joseph Smith Jr., an extraordinary spirit prepared before the foundation of the earth. He would become the greatest prophet sent to earth. . . .
"Our benevolent Father came from His vast creations to this earth to clarify truth, to disperse the intense clouds of spiritual darkness, to establish His true identity, to restore a fulness of truth, and to provide the only way to obtain secure, spiritual guidance. This momentous Restoration began with the Father's simple phrase 'This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!' There followed a Restoration of truth, priesthood, sacred ordinances, and the true Church, with the Father's plan of salvation and happiness."
Topics: truth, revelation, prophets
(Richard G. Scott, "Truth Restored," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 79-80)

"How I love to carry the scriptures with me in my heart! The spirit of what I have read rests there to bring me peace and comfort. The knowledge I have gained gives me guidance and direction. I have the confidence born out of obedience."
Topics: scriptures, guidance, peace, obedience
(Cheryl C. Lant, "My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 76)

"[Some] people say, 'I would have willingly endured persecution and trials if I might have lived in the early years of the Church when there was such a flow of revelation published as scripture. Why is that not happening now?'
"The revelations that came through the Prophet Joseph Smith, printed as scripture, laid the permanent foundation of the Church through which the gospel of Jesus Christ could go forth to 'every nation' (2 Nephi 26:13). . . .
"The opposition and trials are different now. If anything, they are more intense, more dangerous than in those early days, aimed not so much at the Church as at us as individuals. The early revelations, published as scriptures for the permanent guidance of the Church, define the ordinances and covenants and are still in force.
"One of those scriptures promises, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear' (D&C 38:30). . . .
"[Much] has been done to prepare us. . . . I do not fear the future. . . .
". . . Continuing revelation [is] open to the Church and to each individual member."
Topics: revelation, preparation, individual worth
(Boyd K. Packer, "On Zion's Hill," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 70-71)

"Great was the Prophet Joseph Smith's vision. It encompassed all the peoples of mankind, wherever they live, and all generations who have walked the earth and passed on. How can anyone, past or present, speak against him except out of ignorance? They have not tasted of his words, they have not pondered about him, nor prayed about him. As one who has done these things, I add my own words of testimony that he was and is a prophet of God, raised up as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty to usher in a new and final gospel dispensation."
Topic: Joseph Smith
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "Praise to the Man," Ensign, Aug. 1983, 6)
Comments (2) | Permalink

Thursday, March 29, 2007

   Less than three days!
Mosiah 16: 1, 8-11
[...]The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.
[...]
But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness;

"Your calling is to bless lives. . . . Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith."
and
"The Lord will guide you by revelation just as He called you. You must ask in faith for revelation to know what you are to do."
~ Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, Nov. 2002, 76

"On occasion, some of our most fervent prayers may seem to go unanswered. We wonder, 'Why?' I know that feeling! I know the fears and tears of such moments. But I also know that our prayers are never ignored. Our faith is never unappreciated. I know that an all-wise Heavenly Father's perspective is much broader than is ours. While we know of our mortal problems and pain, He knows of our immortal progress and potential. If we pray to know His will and submit ourselves to it with patience and courage, heavenly healing can take place in His own way and time."
~ Russell M. Nelson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: Heh. ^^; Sorry, DarkLynx9701. Okami and Kit-kun are already gone.

Haru #8: Miss Equus, where did everyone go?

Equus: (looks around) Huh, it's just you, Emeraulde, Sano, and me tonight, Haru #8. Hey, par-tay!

Sano: I'll get the food.

Emeraulde: Can we watch a unicorn movie? ^^

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love and care about you. Follow Them. Take care, and have a good day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact of the day: When calves are first born, they aren't afraid of humans. Within a day or two, though, the fear factor kicks in. Probably a survival instict to keep them from going up to predators and saying, "Hi, how are you?" ^^ They are so soft....Our cow had her calf yesterday, and I was able to pet it. It was not too afraid then.

"The Savior will let you feel the love He feels for those you serve. The call is an invitation to become like Him."
~ Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 2000, 66

"We become the hands of our Savior as we do His work... As we pray and seek for opporunities to serve...we become aware of the great power the Lord grants us to make a difference and partake in small miracles on behalf of others--miracles that we are uniquely prepared to do, and that only we can do.
"Wherever and whenever we are ministering, we are sharing and participating in God's love. Then, as He always does, both the giver and the receiver are blessed. Finding your personal ministry begins with making a decision about a consistent way of being God's servant, not just now and then, but always. Ultimately, seeking to always be an instrument of God's love is a decision to further consecrate ourselves to the Lord, to more fully take upon ourselves His name."
~ Bonnie Parkin, BYU Devotional, 13 Feb 2007
Comments (0) | Permalink

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

   Hi! *hugs to everyone and especially Kitkun*
Mosiah 14
4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
...
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

We should be personal peacemakers. We should live peacefully—as couples, families, and neighbors. We should live by the Golden Rule."
~ Elder Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, Nov. 2002, 41

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: I might have a new job!

Xihuitl: You still have to go to the interview today.

Emeraulde: And it's spring. It's so beautiful. The birds are singing, the grass is green again, the very smell in the air is nice. *sighs in content*

Haru #8: Where are K-c and Kakashi #8?

Kurama #3: I think they went to visit the cyber mini unicorns.

Xihuitl: As long as they're not going to try getting into the mountains again.

Okami: *looks up from the jigsaw puzzle she's putting together with Kitsunekun* Mountains?

Equus: Yep, the forbidden mountains of the cyber mini world.

*Okami and Kitkun look at each other and trot off.*

Xihuitl: Oh, no.

Equus: Here are your pocket hugs. Have a good day, and remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you, oh, so much do They love you. Hugs!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Savior will let you feel the love He feels for those you serve. The call is an invitation to become like Him."
and
"An inspired prophet saw service as the way we come to want what the Lord wants. He wrote: “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).
Because you are called by Jesus Christ to His service, you may go forward with great confidence. First, you may be assured that He knows you and your capacity to grow. He has prepared you. Calls will stretch you, often at the start and always over their course, but He will give you the Holy Ghost to be your companion. The Holy Ghost will tell you what to do when your own abilities and efforts are not enough (see John 14:26). The Holy Ghost will prompt you to bear testimony with conviction. The Savior will let you feel the love He feels for those you serve. The call is an invitation to become like Him (see 3 Ne. 27:27).
You might well ask, “How will seeing my call that way make me more confident of success?” The answer is that seeing it in that lofty way will make it more likely that you will go for help to the only source that is never-failing."
[...]
"The Lord is [our] only hope for success. Most of the help will come through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost. The Lord’s servants cannot succeed without it. We can only have the Holy Ghost as a companion if we plead for it and if we qualify for it. And both require a lot of praying, praying with real faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Beloved Son and in the Holy Ghost (see D&C 90:24; A of F 1:1).
To have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we must be cleansed of sin (see D&C 50:29). That only comes through faith enough in Jesus Christ to repent and qualify for forgiveness (see D&C 3:20). And then we have to stay away from sin. That takes prayer, both frequent and fervent (see 3 Ne. 18:18).
“You better do a lot of praying” is good counsel for all of the Lord’s servants, new or seasoned. It is what His wise servants do. They pray."
~Elder Henry B. Eyring
Ensign, May 2000, 66
Comments (1) | Permalink

Monday, March 26, 2007

   Fox! *glomp*
"If we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God."
All of us! Through it He also gave us all the Resurrection, but we have to accept the Atonement for complete exaltation. It's beautiful, though. He is always ready to forgive if we will do our part and repent. I need to work on that, though.
They love us!
And:
"Though this world has a way of diminishing and demeaning men and women, the reality is we are all of royal, divine lineage."
~ Elder M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, May 2004, 86

Mosiah 10: 19-22
And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face.
And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land[...]
And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground.
And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xihuitl: Thank you to Refi-chan, Alex, and Kit-kun for visiting and cheering us up. Equus is doing quite nicely. Okami is all right, I think. Well, considering....

Outside, the garden has entered springtime. (Even though there was almost no winter.) Okami and Kit-kun are chasing each other around the lilac trees.

Xihuitl: Yeah, she's okay. Though don't remind her that it's six more days before Kit-kun is actually back here. Ah, the lovely reality/web confusion.

Kurama #3: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you, and may you feel the Holy Ghost. Here are your pocket hugs, and have a good day.

Equus: Buh-bye! ^__^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact of the day: There is a reaction in the brain to attractiveness in people if there's eye contact, but it's not necessarily romantic. That you still need to work on. ^.^ Just as well--that way you most likely will appreciate it more.

Love and hugs.

Mosiah 8: 16-20
And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.
But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.
Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.
And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.
O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people[...]
He is patient and always waiting. He loves us, how much we do not comprehend. But They love us.

Mosiah 9: 17-18
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.
And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might [...] even until we had driven them out of our land.
Comments (0) | Permalink

Friday, March 23, 2007

   No foxxy....
"We can know what the Lord wants us to do--and experience 'the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work' (Alma 26:3). . . .
"To truly be an instrument in the hands of God, in order to fully have that blessing bestowed upon us in 'the day of this life' in which we 'perform [our] labors' (Alma 34:32), we must, as Elder Maxwell says, 'finally submit ourselves' (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 24) to the Lord."
Topics: submissiveness, blessings, Heavenly Father, responsibility
(Anne C. Pingree, "Knowing the Lord's Will for You," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 112)

Your Heavenly Father needs you. His work, under the direction of our Savior Jesus Christ, needs what you are uniquely prepared to give. Every missionary experience requires faith, sacrifice, and service, and these are always followed by an outpouring of blessings.
As we discuss these blessings, you will naturally consider what I have called the four Fs: fear, family concerns, finding the right mission opportunity, and financial challenges. May I yet add another more important and powerful F—faith. Only through our faith can we heed God’s counsel to “choose ye this day, whom ye will serve” 3—“to serve the Lord God who made you.” 4 And only through a trial of our faith can we receive the miraculous blessings we seek for ourselves and our families. “ For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.”
Allow me to share some of these miraculous blessings from letters and accounts I have received over the past four years. A humble couple from Idaho met fear with faith when the Lord called them to Russia. They wrote the following acceptance letter: “No one would have imagined we would be called to this assignment. We have no idea how we will learn the language or manage to be of service, and although we accept with much trepidation, going completely on faith, we know that the Lord and His prophet know more than we do where we should serve.” Ten months later the Stockholm Sweden Temple welcomed 30 Saints from a small branch in Russia led by this couple from Idaho who had barely begun to learn the Russian language. The scriptures tell us, “God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles.” Thus, God’s work is carried out by His children: “That faith also might increase in the earth. … That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”
[...]
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is our greatest privilege to return His love through sacrifice and service.

~ Elder Robert D. Hales, Ensign, May 2005, 42

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xihuitl: What's wrong, Okami-chan?

The silver wolf looks up sadly from her spot under the grand piano that just moved into Equus's living room last week.

Okami: I don't get to see Kit-kun for over a week.

Xihuitl: Oh, sweetie, it'll be okay. We'll take care of you until he gets back.

Okami looks over at Equus and Sano snuggling on the couch. She anime-sobs and curls up.

Xihuitl: Let's get you something to eat, and we'll take a walk.

Okami: But . . . but . . . Kit-kun loves walks! *waaaah*

Xihuitl: This is gonna be a long week.

Emeraulde: Here are your pocket hugs and glomps, and please say hi to Okami as you leave. It'll make her feel better. ^_^ Take care, and remember: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and want to help you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact of the day: Tired people can be quite grumpy. But be patient with them. Then, hopefully, they'll be patient with you when you're tired and grumpy. ^_~

Mosiah 2: 41
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Mosiah 3: 4-5, 16-17
For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.
For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
[...]
And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.
And moreover, I say unto you, that 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
Comments (2) | Permalink

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

*trot* I have a fox!
Doctrine & Covenants 121: 41-46
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

"Sometimes we carry unhappy feelings about past hurts too long. We spend too much energy dwelling on things that have passed and cannot be changed. We struggle to close the door and let go of the hurt. If, after time, we can forgive whatever may have caused the hurt, we will tap 'into a life-giving source of comfort' through the Atonement, and the 'sweet peace' of forgiveness will be ours ("My Journey to Forgiving," Ensign, Feb. 1997. 43). Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. . . . You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace."
Topics: forgiveness, Atonement, personal growth, peace
(James E. Faust, "Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 115)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: Well, Kuraiangel, I'm hoping I'll get a new job. *cross fingers* I could use it. Hopefully it'll be better than this one in the work atmosphere, too.

Xihuitl: When you find someone you like, take time to get to know them on a mental and emotional--not physical--level. While physical attraction does play a part in relationships and is nice, it is an added bonus, not the focus. Don't lose yourself in the physicality and miss out on a full relationship of true respect and love. Don't give yourself unless done properly for the level of attachment--and never fully until properly within the bonds of matrimony. It is better to give to little physically than too much. As someone said, 'You'll be loved more for the love you withhold than the love you give.' Not that you don't give love, but if you practice restraint physically, all those equally or more important parts of the relationship have a chance to properly develop.

Okami: Remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and want you to do what is right. We are precious sons and daughters of God and can realize our full potential. We need to keep ourselves pure and worthy for eternity and the one, our spouse, with whom we will spend eternity. And when the time is right, you can do things like kiss. ^__^

Emeraulde: Here are your pocket hugs and glomps, and have a good day. ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact of the day: Hime is Japanese for princess. ^_^

"If we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God."
"Though this world has a way of diminishing and demeaning men and women, the reality is we are all of royal, divine lineage."
~ M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004, 84

"There is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by the Son of God. Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father, established before the world began, in a very real sense, all mankind—past, present, and future—would have been left without the hope of eternal progression. As a result of Adam’s transgression, mortals were separated from God (see Rom. 6:23) and would be forever unless a way was found to break the bands of death. This would not be easy, for it required the vicarious sacrifice of one who was sinless and who could therefore take upon Himself the sins of all mankind.
Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation, and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God."
~ M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004, 84

'Be grateful. He loves us.' Love and hugs and take care.
Comments (4) | Permalink

Friday, March 16, 2007

Hi!
John 3: 16-17

"Hear the voice of the Lord. Communication from the Lord about divine truth or spiritual knowledge is found in the scriptures. It is called revelation. . . . It is given to 'know how to worship, and know what you worship' (D&C 93:19). Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, 'Only with revelation can we do the Lord's work according to His will in His way and according to His timing' ("Revelation," First Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 2003, 5). 'Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion' (Bible Dictionary, 762)."
Topics: revelation, scriptures, worship
(Charles Didier, "Man's Search for Divine Truth," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 48)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: Well, my car is kinda fixed...maybe. They did some things like changed the fuel filter, and they test drove it, and I drove it today, and it hasn't died or given any trouble. Maybe a little bit of noise, but no trouble. But they're not sure they fixed it. So I'm taking it back in tomorrow. I missed the activity tonight. Hopefully I can get to the one tomorrow.

Okami: And I get to see my fox. I hope. (holds a Kitsunekun plushie)

Sano: And Equus might have a new job in a month.

Xihuitl: Yep. ^_^ Remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you.

K-C: Here are your pocket hugs.

Emeraulde: Have a good day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."
Topics: plan of salvation, personal growth, spirituality
(Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become," Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32)

"The call of duty can come quietly as we who hold the priesthood respond to the assignments we receive. President George Albert Smith, that modest yet effective leader, declared, 'It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of His holy Priesthood to magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows in such a way that the people will be glad to follow you' (in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 14)."
Topics: priesthood, service, responsibility, magnifying callings
(Thomas S. Monson, "Do Your Duty--That Is Best," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 59)
Comments (1) | Permalink

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

   Arooooooo!
Doctrine & Covenants 121: 41-46
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: Hi, I'm here. My car died today. >.> But hopefully I'll have it by Friday for my activities of the weekend. ^_^ Praying for it.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you. ^_^ Take care.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
~ Elder David A. Bednar, Ensign, May 2005, 100
Comments (1) | Permalink