Ensign, Feb 1992, 68 “The Divinely Inspired Constitution, ”
We have an inspired constitution What exactly does that mean to me? Through the law and through obedience I can enjoy life and liberty
How did the quest for freedom begin? What led these men to struggle within? How many of them each other knew Did they speak from where their yearnings grew?
For checks and balances more seasoned Our founding fathers met and reasoned As common cause became their goal It united them with purpose whole
A miracle did unite this group Though they could not pay for their own troupe With borrowed money and with debt They had much work that they must do yet
A bill of rights, sovereignty How to treat each man with dignity How to maintain the rights of all flesh Yet politically combine and mesh
Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Feb 1992, 68 “The Divinely Inspired Constitution, ”
Finally to die off leaving their record for our day
Too, Christopher Columbus was compelled much
By the Holy Spirit to cross this deep vast ocean
Who worked to gain the trust of Queen Isabella
While being prepared by God for this destination
The came the Pilgrims seeking a place
To establish and protect religious freedom
And thus many more came here to raise
Their families as reformers freed from oppression
Thus it was by divine intervention
America was preserved for its destiny
For the coming forth of the constitution
Guaranteeing for all life, liberty
And the pursuit of happiness
Acting on the dictates of their conscience
Discerning and applying moral agency
Each for their own eternal futurity
Here, where the everlasting gospel could flourish
Restored for the Latter-Day, by Jesus Himself
To act in authority with a prophet through which
Lehi's records were given their story to tell
That Jesus appeared to them after being crucified
He taught them and they received the ordinances of the gospel
They were a second witness that He had lived and died
This, their promised land, was set apart to make this possible
And the promise remains marvelously true once more
As we are to prepare for a second coming of the Lord
[Verse 1]
There's beauty in foreign lands
Each favored, by God, uniquely
Still...America forever stands
Divinely for rights of liberty
Its destiny was foreordained
In our Father's eternal plan
Prophets of old foresaw it, too
So preserved to one day expand
[Pre-Chorus]
Joseph's tribe was to become
A fruitful bough by a well
Whose branches would run over
Bound in the everlasting Hills forever
[Chorus]
Foreordained, foreordained
Set apart for this day
To carry His light brightly lit
Unto lands near and far away
[Verse 2]
Lehi, a prophet from the then wicked holy land
Journeyed in the wilderness and then by sea
With his family they fashioned a ship by hand
And sailed where they could live righteously
Oft God blessed them with prosperity
And then, in pride, they went their own way
To then cycle back with humility
Finally to die off leaving their record for our day
[Pre-Chorus]
Too, Christopher Columbus was compelled much
By the Holy Spirit to cross this deep vast ocean
Who worked to gain the trust of Queen Isabella
While being prepared by God for this destination
[Chorus]
Foreordained, foreordained
Set apart for this day
To carry His light brightly lit
Unto lands near and far away
[Verse 3]
Then came the Pilgrims seeking a place
To establish and protect religious freedom
And thus many more came here to raise
Their families as reformers freed from oppression
Thus it was by divine intervention
America was preserved for its destiny
For the coming forth of the constitution
Guaranteeing for all life, liberty
[Chorus]
Foreordained, foreordained
Set apart for this day
To carry His light brightly lit
Unto lands near and far away
[Verse 4]
Here, where the everlasting gospel could flourish
Restored for the Latter-Day, by Jesus Himself
To act in authority with a prophet through which
Lehi's records were given their story to tell
That Jesus appeared to them after being crucified
He taught them and they received the ordinances of the gospel
They were a second witness that He had lived and died
This, their promised land, was set apart to make this possible
[Chorus]
Foreordained, foreordained
Set apart for this day
To carry His light away
Discerning and applying moral agency
Restored for the Latter-Day
Foreordained, foreordained
Preparatory for the Lord
Thoughts were from a talk by Elder Tanner
Given in 1976- as a Bicentennial message.
This was the summer before i started middle school. We traveled across America and I learned about our history and the lives of our founding fathers. Not knowing that in college I would learn all that this song tells. It is true!
Find the Creator, in your own way
Because there is one
Ask Him to speak to you. Pray
Through faith, this is done
The founding fathers acknowledged that there was one creator who granted all man inalienable rights. All of them had discovered this truth, individually, and acted on this truth as the foundation of the unity that brought to us this inspired document.
The phrase, "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution. It is a phrase extracted by liberal academics to justify and further their own agenda to eliminate religion and is based on the Constitutional directive that there shall be no state religion establishment, thus guaranteeing religious freedom.
George Washington, known as the "Father of Our Country," was a farmer, ... Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; the event is in ...
Our Constitution now hangs by a thread
The rights we hold sacred like shadows have fled
Who can restore each God given right
And not let them be robbed by the thieves in the night?
This Judeo-Christian land
Was founded for a high purpose
The Constitution must stand
As it was paid through blood's purchase
Let logic, common sense, reason,
And righteousness, unite us for inspiration
Pick up your baton of freedom,
And, with faith, fight to heal and revive this nation
I like the idea of a baton. I think of track. You work as a team to get the baton to the finish line. There every member works hard and counts. There is unity, purpose, and focus.
From what's absolute
And found in God's holy law,
America planted roots.
The line in the sand was drawn.
American constitutionalism was rooted in the absolutes of God’s law. True law is in accord with God’s law. William Blackstone, whose Commentaries of the Laws of England (1765) was a primary resource for those studying law in America until the twentieth century, said that “no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to the law of nature [which is] dictated by God himself…[or to] the law of revelation [which is] to be found only in the holy Scriptures.”
From “Noah Webster, God’s Law, and the U.S. Constitution” by Stephen McDowell
As God placed it on this land. Monday, June 8, 2015
The past week has been a tremendous success for Senator Paul, our campaign, and liberty-lovers across the country. Americans from all walks of life stood with Rand as he led the charge to end the NSA's illegal bulk data collection program by changing their profile pictures on social media, submitting their selfies, and sharing their support on our website. His stand against President Obama's illegal spying program led to a lapse of the worst provisions of the PATRIOT Act and led the way to much needed reform.
According to the results of a new national Washington Post/ABC News Poll, Senator Paul is tied for first place in the Republican field for President and in a prime-position to challenge Hillary Clinton in the General Election. It is clear that our pro-Constitution message is resonating with conservatives across the country. More information and news can be found below. I hope you enjoy our first Rand Paul for President Weekly Newsletter.
Chip Englander Campaign Manager Rand Paul for President #RandPaul
"Not until the end of the Civil War would the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution begin to be extended to the states, Elder Oaks noted. "Therefore, during Joseph's life, fundamental First Amendment rights like the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech and press only restrained the federal government. During Joseph Smith's lifetime, individual states had to define and regulate such rights at the local level.""It was not surprising that when Joseph Smith ran for the U.S. presidency in 1844, one of the planks in his platform was to strengthen the federal government's ability to ensure justice and redress for all citizens and to ensure that the Constitution was applied equally to the states," he said. Controversial though his position was at the time, it ultimately became the law of the land "and a critical component in America's democracy," he added. Dallin H. Oaks speaking in Illinois.
Behind the Extraditions: Joseph Smith, the Man and the Prophet
To summarize our capacity to influence those around us, President McKay said the following half a century ago:
There is one responsibility which no man can evade and that responsibility is personal influence. Man’s unconscious influence, the silent, subtle radiation of his personality. The effect of his words and acts. These are tremendous. Every moment of life he is changing to a degree the life of the whole world.
Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other. Man cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character. This constantly weakening or strengthening of others. He cannot evade the responsibility by saying it is an unconscious influence. He can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated. He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. By these qualities he will constantly affect the world. This radiation to which I refer comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating sympathy, sorrow, or morbidness, cynicism, or happiness or hope, or any other hundred qualities. Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate. To exist is to be the recipient of radiation.
"To radiate our positive influence in civic affairs, we must become righteous and moral; we must, as Ghandi once said, be the change we wish to see in the world. We need to learn and abide by the principles found in the Constitution, for as President McKay taught: "Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States!" (Instructor Magazine, 1956, 91:34). We must take that knowledge and understanding of the Constitution, and infuse our political system with its disinfecting simplicity and principled restraints; we must become leaders and work diligently to support good people in public office, or seek office ourselves. And finally, we must radiate our influence by exposing ourselves to those who might be impacted and uplifted by our actions, words, and character."
He's Been There Before by Elder Troy Whittle The alarm bell rings at 6:30, I stumble to my feet I grab my companions bedding and pull off his sheets A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise? It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes
The morning activities follow- study, prayer and such When it's time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven't accomplished much "We have a super day planned," My comp. says with a grin I lowly utter a faithless breath, "Yeah, if anyone lets us in."
With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street prepared to Face another day of humidity and heat It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through My champion and I are riding home not accomplishing what we thought to do
We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "air Box" We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet
It's past 10:30 p.m. My companion is fast asleep, Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray I need to talk to father, but I'm not sure what to say
"Oh, Father" I begin, "What happened to us today? I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away My hands, my aching hands- worn, hurt and beat; If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street"
"Why on missions are the days so much alike? The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes, it's very hard to see"
"Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough? People always laugh at me, and call me stupid stuff Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back"
"And what about my family: They don't have much to say I'm sick of not hearing from home day after day after day Oh Father, Why am I here am I just wasting time? Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry but that's on my mind"
"My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me? "The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see Now you have it, I can't go on, I don't know what to do That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for you"
My prayer now finished, I stand up, then jump right into bed I need my rest for tomorrow, we have another long day ahead Sleep start to overtake me, I seem to drift away Then it seems a vision takes me to another time in another day
I'm standing alone on the hill. The view is very nice A man walks to wards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ" Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet "Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade. You and I need to speak"
My attention's towards my Savior, total and complete He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to me I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through In fact, it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you"
"I even know how you felt when no one listened to you At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds"
"I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate I remember when I sweat blood from ev’ry pore, oh the agony was great! I see you don't like your companion- you'd rather have someone else- I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth"
"It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back"
"Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see I lost communication on the cross and cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?"
"We have a lot in common, but there's a difference between us you see I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me" He embraced me with His arms and His light filled me with His love With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above
I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!" I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!"
No matter what we go through, when we feel we can't take more Just stop and think about Jesus Christ, He's been there before By Elder Troy Whittle Texas Houston listen to this as a song Mission https://ldspoetrybykellymiller.blogspot.com/2008/06/hes-been-there-before.html
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
These poems are my own thoughts and impressions as I study the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints
I encourage you to read from the Book of Mormon and the standard works, and listen to modern day prophets, also, that your mind and heart might be touched.
