Foreordained Promised Land

There's beauty in foreign lands

Each favored, by God, uniquely

Still...America forever stands

Divinely for rights of liberty

It's destiny was foreordained

In our Father's eternal plan

Prophets of old foresaw it, too

So preserved to one day expand

Joseph's tribe was to became a fruitful bough

By a well whose branches would run over

Foreordained, some to be endowed

Bound in the everlasting Hills forever

Lehi, a prophet from a 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

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! 

https://x.com/PeacemakingSt/status/2073018493318910067?s=20

Genesis 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 

Moses

Celebrate 250 Years with Us- Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

We have reached a milestone

To celebrate

We share and let it be known

What makes us great

It was not from a one time abstract thought

Written and signed on parchment paper

But from following the principles taught

And believing in being something greater

This constitution is part of each of us

Glorious, It holds truths self-evident

It is both our roots and our foundation

Under God, we've expanded

our fruit is evidence

We have bloomed to become

A blessing beyond our borders

For freedoms, we welcome

Those with integrity who seek to flourish

Hey, nations of this world

Come celebrate with us

Our Independence Day

Life, Liberty and Justice

In the pursuit of happiness

May God be will all of us

[Verse 1]

We have reached a milestone

A year to truly celebrate

We share and let it be known

What makes America great

It was not from a one time abstract thought

Written and signed on parchment paper

But from following the principles taught

And believing in being something greater

[Pre-Chorus]

Our Declaration is part of each of us

Glorious, It holds truths self-evident

It is both our roots and our foundation

Under God, we've expanded our fruitfulness is evidence

[Chorus]

Life, Liberty and Justice

Life, Liberty and Justice

In the pursuit of happiness

May God be will all of us

[Verse 2]

We have bloomed to become

A blessing beyond our borders

For freedoms, we welcome

Those with integrity who seek to flourish

Hey, nations of this world

Come celebrate with us

Our Independence Day

Let it rise, let it ring for us (for us)

[Pre-Chorus]

Our Declaration is part of each of us

Glorious, It holds truths self-evident

It is both our roots and our foundation

Under God, we've expanded our fruitfulness is evidence

[Chorus]

Life, Liberty and Justice

Life, Liberty and Justice

In the pursuit of happiness

May God be will all of us

[Bridge]

A year to truly celebrate

Written and signed on parchment paper

Believing in being something greater

Come celebrate with us

[Final Chorus]

Life, Liberty and Justice

Life, Liberty and Justice

In the pursuit of happiness

May God be will all of us

Life, Liberty and Justice

Life, Liberty and Justice

Our Independence Day

May God be will all of us (all of us)

Found inspiration from the Oslo Embassy, Rubio invites all countries everywhere to celebrate with us.  

@SecRubio

Secretary Rubio: “As we commemorate 250 years of independence, I call on our allies and embassies around the world to join us in celebrating the American principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happy Independence Day, and may God bless the United States of America.”

https://x.com/usembassyoslo/status/2072952243377029438?s=20

We Have Guidance to Accept and Follow - Hold on a Little Bit Longer

These are my impressions from choppy notes... the true source was wonderful
I would love comments

We've been given guidance to accept and follow
That we might stand closer within a divine circle
Thus, to feel faith upon our heads come aglow
That we might continually grow in a commitment cycle

May we assist each other in righteousness and truth
As each soul and heart needs constant nourishment
Let us not be hesitant, but stand tall and do
That hearts are stirred unto good, as they are meant

Who will recapture their testimony
And avoid the pitfalls of Satan?
Who will grow in brightness and certainty
To be counted present for amen?

Each of us can come to know the truth of all things
And recognize confirmations through the Holy Ghost
To the convincing unto warm tender feelings
For strength to remain faithful come pillar and post

May we ever have a desire to receive and to keep
That with eyes we'll see heaven's windows open
May our celestial pedigree ever run deep
That we ever feel there is so much to hope in

Then, through hard times, we will be stronger
We will be committed unto God's will
Then to hold on a little bit longer
That unto good works we've faith to fulfill

FROM PILLAR TO POST ( a new phrase to me was actually used by Elder Wickman )

found in http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pil1.htm
[Q] From Rice Mixon: “Please shed light on the origin and meaning of From pillar to post. I recently came across the version from pile to pillar.”

[A] An interesting variation, showing how little the idiom is now understood. A lot of people are unsure even of the meaning, which is to be forced to go from one place to another in an unceremonious or fruitless manner, occasioning much frustration and anger in the process.

There are two theories about its origin among the experts. (You didn’t think you were going to get a straightforwardly simple answer, did you?)

One suggests that the post was a whipping post and that pillar actually refers to the pillory. The suggestion is that a criminal being punished in medieval times would first be tied to the post to be whipped and then put in the pillory for public amusement. One thing in favour of this idea is that the original version of our idiom, which first appeared around 1420, was the other way around: from post to pillar. But if it were true, you’d expect to get at least one recorded usage of from post to pillory and none are known. I count this a folk etymology of an especially ingenious type.

However, the alternative — the one that most dictionaries rather cautiously subscribe to — sounds even more outlandish. It is said that it derives from the ancient game of tennis, the version that is now called real tennis (court tennis in the USA) to distinguish it from its upstart successor, lawn tennis. The original game was played by personages of high status in rather complex indoor courts and it is supposed that the pillars and posts were parts of it.

World Wide Words subscribers have since suggested yet a third possible source, based on similar idioms in other languages, that is more plausible than either.

Pepijn Hendriks pointed out that Dutch has a very similar metaphor, van het kastje naar de muur (“from cupboard to wall”), which is mainly used in the expression van het kastje naar de muur gestuurd worden (“to be sent from cupboard to wall”). Because cupboards are usually attached to walls, the expression evokes an image of not getting very far towards the resolution of a problem. He suggests that as cupboard and wall are virtually equivalent in terms of their perceived position, so pillar and post similarly suggest two objects of similar kind that are likely to be close together.

Dominik Weber commented that a German expression refers to being sent von Pontius zu Pilatus. (Pepijn Hendriks tells me this is also known in Dutch.) Pontius and Pilatus were of course the same person: in English Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea. Again, we have the idea of two closely equivalent or even identical references as the two halves of the idiom. Maria Escobar tells me that Spanish has the closely similar idiom ir de Herodes a Pilatos, to go from Herod to Pilate, as Jesus was before the Crucifixion.

These Dutch, German and Spanish idioms certainly suggest a model for the English phrase.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE to read please click on the title above... an interesting site
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pil1.htm

The Greatest Gift of Value

The greatest gift of value
For mankind here today
Is the Book of Mormon
The keystone of our faith

Prepared by the Lord's hand
O'er a period of many years
In fact more than a thousand
To testify so clear

In our day, the Lord's borne witness
That the words there in are true
That it contains the gospel fullness
Telling what great faith in Christ can do

It laid the sure foundation
For the restoration of all things
And as our path of inspiration
It's a gift with solemn warnings

For once received unto righteousness
A journey of faith begins to crown
That when we trifle with and think it less
Our spirit darkens on its way down

The word testament means covenant
Thus we've the old and the new
But, we've another covenant
We've the Book of Mormon too

The early Saints were rebuked
For treating this great book lightly
It should be a lifetime pursuit
As a keystone holds things highly

This central stone of our religion
Like an arch would crumble without
It lies there to keep us safe from sin
That unto good works, we're about

It's testimony is undiluted-
Of the divinity of our Savior
And its power can't be disputed
As its promised witness is prayed for

It teaches in plain language
As it was written for our inspection
And the warnings keep us on edge
From those who fell to destruction

It provides a complete explanation
Of what the Atonement means
And of doctrines required for salvation
Indeed it's the book of our dreams

Unmistakably, it points to Christ
As they knew of His miraculous birth
And they awaited signs in the sky
That would tell them He was on the earth

And as all things seem to parallel
Moroni saw what's similar with our day
This gave him hope through his peril
For he could, at least, warn us of what's coming our way

The evils of secret combinations
The path of persecution and apostasy
The downfall of pride upon the nation
All this, he saw, in graphic and chilling reality

Through the book we learn how to live in times of war
And that wickedness never is happiness
We find words that give us power and comfort
For its a marvelous work and a wonder that does witness

A man can get nearer to God by its precepts
As with it we've Him more in our daily walk
For we're blessed constantly with His presence
As through prayer and the book we can talk

As we read a power does flow
To help us resist temptation
And of how to repent we'll know
As it assists our education

....lastly, it lifts us from condemnation

Hunger and thirst for each truth
And prayerfully put them to test
Help teach and expound to our youth
And hold to the rod for the best!

The First Presidency Message
The Keystone of Our Religion
President Ezra Taft Benson
Ensign?
From: A Witness and a Warning
Salt Lake City
Desert Book Co, 1988

[Verse 1] The greatest gift of value For mankind here today Is the Book of Mormon The keystone of our faith Prepared by the Lord's hand O'er a period of many years In fact more than a thousand To testify so clear [Pre-Chorus] In our day, the Lord's borne witness That the words there in are true It contains the gospel fullness Telling what great faith can do [Chorus] Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Keystone of our faith Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Keep us on the straight (hold us safe) [Verse 2] It laid the sure foundation For the restoration of all things And as our path of inspiration It's a gift with solemn warnings For once received unto righteousness A journey of faith begins to crown That when we trifle with and think it less Our spirit darkens on its way down [Pre-Chorus] The word testament means covenant Thus we've the old and the new But, we've another covenant We've the Book of Mormon too [Chorus] Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Keystone of our faith Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Keep us on the straight (hold us safe) [Bridge] It teaches in plain language As it was written for our inspection And the warnings keep us on edge From those who fell to destruction A man can get nearer to God By its precepts As with it we've Him more in our daily walk For we're blessed constantly with His presence As through prayer and the book we can talk [Final Chorus] Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Keystone of our faith Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Lift us as we pray (lead the way) Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Hold us to the rod Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Draw us close to God (closer to God) [Outro] Hunger and thirst for each truth And prayerfully put them to test Help teach and expound to our youth And hold to the rod for the best

Ground Shakes- Rescue Awakes

The ground shakes 

Everything breaks

It's deafening

Now the rescuing

The rescue resources you need:

Experts trained in safety

The ability to work as a team

And faith that God sees and will lead

Tools to break through concrete

Noble canines trained to smell and hear

The belief in humanity

And hours upon hours of labor despite fears

The miracles keep them going

The volunteers that keep showing

The dogs that still stay by your side

Calming the nerves each sound serves

As you crawl almost trapped inside

[Verse 1] The ground shakes Everything breaks It's deafening Now the rescuing The rescue resources you need: Experts trained in safety The ability to work as a team And faith that God sees and will lead [Pre-Chorus] Tools to break through concrete Noble canines trained to smell and hear The belief in humanity And hours upon hours of labor despite fears [Chorus] The miracles keep them going (keep them going) The volunteers keep showing (keep showing) The dogs stay by your side (stay by your side) The ground shakes, but you don't hide [Verse 2] Calming the nerves each sound serves As you crawl almost trapped inside Dust on your tongue, heart in your throat Still somebody calls, "Hold tight" The rescuers move like a promise One by one through the wreckage line Hands in the dark, eyes on the signs Till a small voice comes back alive [Pre-Chorus] Tools to break through concrete Noble canines trained to smell and hear The belief in humanity And hours upon hours of labor despite fears [Chorus] The miracles keep them going (keep them going) The volunteers keep showing (keep showing) The dogs stay by your side (stay by your side) The ground shakes, but you don't hide [Bridge] When fear gets loud, they answer When hope runs thin, they stay A name in the dust, a hand in the rubble Turns night into day [Final Chorus] The miracles keep them going (keep them going) The volunteers keep showing (keep showing) The dogs stay by your side (stay by your side) The ground shakes, but you don't hide (hide)

From a Broken Vessel to...

 

Midst life's thorns, thistles, and obnoxious weeds You can become trapped and develop disease Defeated with stress high and energy low The frazzled mind takes a psychic blow

Like a broken vessel

You can hold no more

This is very dreadful

You have naught to pour

Coping skills shut down, you're in need of rescue As you can't think your way out or know what to do Thoughts are stuck feelings in a circular fashion To break the cycle you must pray with passion

For a broken vessel

Must come to itself

And pray oft with passion

The Savior will help
A hymn is a prayer and a soothing balm Hum them, sing them and your heart will calm Believe in the atonement and, for you, Christ did pay And then your tears will flow in a different way

Though a broken vessel

Think kin Sui Gee

God glues you back with gold

To become a thing of beauty

Then fill your vessel with good things

Life's lessons, your blessings, treasure up

Record your feelings. Let them go

And with the Savior, weekly sup

As a renewed vessel

You hold the holy spirit within

Fill it with holy light

Go where the Lord whispers and the veil grows thin

Be a vessel shining bright

Just pondering this subject from what

I have experienced...

There's only so long your brain can perform in fight or flight mode and full steam ahead. The frontal lobe of reason and planning will shut down and you'll function at a lower level. You may think you are thinking but you are just feeling thoughts and you are literally in a rut as you do this again and again. You tell the brain this is how you cope. Sleep and food don't help, nor does advice. You need to write all those thought feelings down so the brain doesn't have to remember it all. Then seek the peace that comes with the spirit. Engage in scripture reading and higher reasoning, pray and sing. And give thanks.

I teach and sometimes panic sets in as pressure builds and starts to grip you.There is a schedule to keep and you've expectations of what the kids should know. I have a picture of me in the back of the room and I know I am smiling with love, joy, and the spirit. It warms me and reminds me and sometimes shocks me that I am that person.

KIN-tsu-gi.(gee)

Light on a Hill- Agree to Disagree!

Our constitution, our infrastructure 

Is framed for prosperity and peace

Our pluralistic society, let's not fracture

But agree to disagree, please

Let's not gather to go "off the rails!"

Or with blinders, fly full speed ahead

Let's work together to fight corruption 

To remain free as a Light on a Hill, instead!

For our children's children... let's think of them

And build on what is bright and beautiful

Founded on inspired principles given

Let's focus on goodness, with our hearts full!

United we stand.

In contention- we FALL

Work to understand 

To be free. It takes us ALL!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1459447665763445?mibextid=9drbnH&s=yWDuG2&fs=e

President Oaks, as a former state Supreme Court Judge and educator of the Constitution, offers his wisdom. 👋 Please 🙏 😢 😭 😫 😔 listen!

It was given in Virginia in 2021.

Right now we are modeling our country

After an ugly destroying divorce

With both sides demanding what EACH wants

HOW THEY JAM UP AND CREATE CHAOS IN THE COURTS!

Seeing cheating ok if it means the other side is left with NOTHING!

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/11/13/read-lds-apostle-dallin/