Being an Agent to Act

Faith is a spiritual gift
That comes as we don't drift
From waiting upon the Lord
And His miraculous uplift

God gave us His only Son.
Confidence in Him can come,
To know that we are not alone.
We can seek for and find wisdom!

Music & The Spoken Word: Father's Day Special - Live Stream June 18, 2017

Dad,

Thank you

You rolled up your sleeves

And went to work each day

As we did what we pleased

Set for summer time play

After all these years, I realize the irony of celebrating Father's day as summer time is rolling out and all the kids are home for summer and play.  Dad's really are selfless providers.

Illegalities: the Unfairness of It All

Read of two people who have asked for trials of the Lord. President Kimball and President Eyring. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng&

You know how the Lord answered that question for the Prophet Joseph Smith in his prison cell:
“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”2There seems to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials for us more terrible than we can imagine.
You remember His words when He counseled that we should, out of faith in Him, repent:
“Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”3 Doctrine and Covenants 19:15–19.

Retort
If you have trials of your own
That takes you before the court
Know that you are not alone
And our Lord did not retort

Guilty by Coincidence
Sometimes it is a matter
Of where you are and when
For your freedom to shatter
As the one accused, then

Collateral Damage
The draw of the get rich scam
Sees naught your heart nor your soul
Amidst developing a plan
And strike out through a loop hole

Heavenly Duty
Jesus went out of His way
To be where He needed to be
He had courage to do and say
What was His Heavenly duty

Fallible and Fallen?
Fallible, are you looking for kind justice?
As an enemy to the laws of the land?
Ultimately who can you turn to and trust?
In your trial, who will understand?

The Lord will not be passive
Or scorn, and keep you at length
His compassion is massive
He offers courage and strength

Walk With HIM
Return to our atoning Savior
Repent. Bring with you all of your pain
Take courage. You are safe, for
Where you've been, you won't have to explain

Eyes to See

Train your eyes to see
The Savior all around
His light is beauty
And love to be found

Originality in Divinity

It is strangely encouraging
To see your own uniqueness in your kin
And see them too engaging
In what builds good character within

Ultimately, each fine quality
Defines us to who we truly are
God's own, born with ability
With moral compass, as our star

Each time you witness greatness
This proves that God is real
Develop your own goodness
His light inside you'll feel

Importance

We are each important

With unique roles to play

Evidence of God's plan

Shines through what we do and say

Perfect Record

There's been naught a perfect Record
During all the days of man
Save Jesus Christ our Lord
Who fulfilled our Father's plan

Reposed
Reposed in the heart of Jesus
Is a deep and abiding love
Which can dwell within each of Us
If we seek it from Heaven above

Ears to Hear
Never was He known
To turn a deaf ear
Tenderness was shown
To bring the Father near

True to His Word

Jesus gave to the world
An eternal heritage.
He lived true to His word.
Always as the Father said

Word of Mouth

Hundreds of shocked Jews

Quickly spread the news

A life had been restored

By Jesus Christ our Lord

Yes, Lazarus did rise

From the tomb of death

He opened up his eyes

And took again life's breath

The Players

The players in Christ's demise
Should not come by surprise
For each had something to gain
Still, for them, He suffered in pain

Played a Fool

More than anyone, Judas knew
What it meant to be played a fool
The weight of his payoff, how it grew
For the sting of remorse is cruel

The Dastardly Deed

The dastardly deed of betrayal
Manifested through putrescent lips
The bitter kiss was evil... vile
As it foreshadowed scourges and whips

Annas' eyes
Were more than green with envy
They hardened with lies
To rid Jesus, his enemy.

Monopoly

Because Annas had full monopoly
Of the temple money exchange
Tears of rage poured down his face
When Jesus stirred up all the change

No treasurer would let this go!
Thirty pieces were quickly taken
His pockets lined with lucre
Though his honor was forsaken

Something churned in Judas
As he took Annas' side
He did not understand, as Jesus,
How thieves, He'd found inside!

False Piety

They, with false piety,
Wrote the Lord off
The elite Pharisees,
Were quick to scoff

Nihilistic
The nihilistic Sadducees
Took the law unto themselves
And afflicted abuses
As it was their way or else

Hornsby water clock: detail of plaque. The diagram shows the general layout of the Swiss pendulum clock.

The Garden of Gethsemane

The silent dial of destiny
Clearly turned towards the hour
When He would suffer in agony
And prove pure love and power

Each of us turned that dial
On this burdensome clock
Our souls upon Him to pile
And prove Him as our rock

The fluid of fate hung

His destiny to know

Completely He was wrung

His blood to spill and flow

Complicity

Their hearts were as cold,
As their heads were hard.
Their plots became bold,
To inflict more harm.

Entrapment
With equal determination
They sought to entrap Him
To inflict humiliation
And make sure His death happened

Impartial

In be impartial and fair
One must use self-restraint
And judge the evil with care
For all bad choices taint
No man is qualified to sit
As a judge in a matter
That is personal to him
Yes, he must defer than bias gather

Two Witness
If a witness is true
It can be verified
To the last detail
Lest the innocent be tried

Defense
The right to a lawyer
To defend your case
Was refused our Savior
A true spit in the face

For a trial of Jesus
They should have asked two of their own
So love by Nicodemus
And Joseph of Armathea, care was shown

But, only those who were sure to vote
Against the Lord to be tried
Were awoken that night with a note
So He would be crucified

Limited Sanhedrin Court
In a small effort to flatter
The Sanhedrin court
Could try religious matters
But law breakers, they must report

The power to impose
A penalty of death
Was not given to those
Who could aid or abet

Ignoring Provisions
The great Sanhedrin
Could not meet or try at night
On a Friday, even
Or during a Feast of light

Blood is thicker than water
This is true of the wealthy elite
To rub shoulders with each other
Oft morals will take a back seat

Scapegoat
Being more than newsworthy
This trial is still spoken of, today
How could this world be
So evil, to make innocence pay?

Venom

They became devoid of common decency
As the deadly case was framed against Him
So poisoned with hate they could not see
He was the cure to what venom spread within them

Appeal
Had He been a Roman
He could have fought for an appeal
These weren't fair times, then
So freely did they kill

Mob Mentality

The inciteful crowd
Of unruly ingrates
Inhumanely howled
Building off each other's hates

Scourging
The sentence of scourging once complete
Left the crowd dissatisfied
They wanted to mock Him at His feet
As He was being crucified

But, Jesus as the Way
The Truth and the Light
For their sins, He would pay
And prove good is right

Eat the flesh
Of Jesus the Christ
And confess
He is truth and light

Drink the blood
Of the living Christ
Feel His love
Flow within with life

At Oxford, Mormon Apostle Reflects on Lessons Learned During Watergate T...

Take a ringside view of scandal.

See how each bad act adds up, 

Till there's no integrity to handle 

And feel neither conscience nor love

How Can We Avoid The Same Fate As The Nephites? Knowhy #327

You can run but cannot hide

From the side effects of sin

Heed the Son, beware of pride,

And do not let it in.

Shout it Out

I tried to shout
Overs your doubts and fears
So what I taught
Would get past your ears

Sigh. I was teaching a student that was inconsistent.  Saying, "I don't know" and shutting down. Nothing was working to help her gain confidence. I did what you are not supposed to do and raised my voice. She confessed she felt she was not good enough. She had been comparing herself to the best in the class. Maybe we both broke down and got to the root of our frustrations.  Then...
Dad came to the rescue and he turned her attitude completely around and she accelerated very quickly.

"Cross Yourself"?

Do what it takes to stay clear of sin
Self-examine your desires often
And cross yourself of them rather than
Fall prey to the lusts known of man

Alma 39:9 Now my son, 

I would that ye should repent 

and forsake your sins, 

and go no more after the lusts of your eyes,

 but cross yourself in all these things; 

for except ye do this

 ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

 Oh, remember, and take it upon you, 

and cross yourself in these things.

Digits at Work

As this toddler squirms and fidgets

Using both the hands and feet

Through the strength of all those digits

The piano keys come within reach

Something calls this little one

To explore the sounds they make

Perhaps it is more than fun

As an inner ear awakes

Pondering the joy of watching a little child go on tiptoe to blindly reach the piano keys and the development of personality and talents.

Is Psalm 51 the Key to Understanding Lehi's Dream? Knowhy #325

Psalms can reach your humble heart

And light your soul for more

Of what God would impart

What do you hunger for?

For Nephi, it was mercy.

Psalms 23: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 51 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

It's Purely Possible

It's purely possible
To be a disciple
Of someone that you know
Through service, Christ will show

Your Mission

https://youtu.be/6w9WVPotP4M

With all your heart,
Choose a religion.
Let it impart,
For you, a mission.

When No One Else Can Understand

Christ suffered those pains and afflictions


That no one else can understand.


His empathy bears no restrictions.


He can succor like no other can!

Shadows Pass

Shadows pass
For both the good and ill
May they last
According to God's will

Hopefully, the shadows are not caused by people passing darkly by but by trials that teach and strengthen.

I love this quote by Frederick Buechner: found at

 http://quotepixel.com/picture/life/frederick_buechner/the_life_i_touch_for_good_or_ill_will_touch_another_life

The life I touch for good or ill 

will touch another life, 

and that in turn another, 

until who knows where 

the trembling stops 

or in what far place 

my touch will be felt.