Sunday, January 20, 2008

Poems based on Elder Oaks' talks

DIVORCE?

Dear Father, we join hands and kneel together.
We want to see this marriage last, yet forever.
Help us keep our love precious and living,
While there is prospect of life and healing.
Help us be hopeful, considerate, kind.
We unite in this plea, in this hard climb.
Soften hearts; help wounds mend.  There is pain.
Help us be patient again and again.
Help us to see the other's good side, a bond to gain.
Help us count our companion as our best friend.

United most humbly, we seek thy guidance,
Healed by the atonement as our second chance.
There is much to overcome, we agree, on each side.
As life was not meant to be an easy ride.
Help us remember the good of the past,
Think of the children first and of our needs last.
We've hope for their future and want their well being.
We've our bishop's judgment and have sought out counseling,
For we can dwell up wrongs, yet, again and again.
Help us to overcome faults, forgive, and strengthen.



Our Inspired Constitutions

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 united this founding group,
Though they could not pay for their own troupe.
With borrowed money and with debt,
They had much work, they must do yet.

A bill of rights, soverenity,
How to treat each man with dignity,
How to maintain the rights of all flesh,
And politically combine for what is best.



We Know Not What Showers

We know not what showers over the mountainside.
And, must heed the voice of the Spirit our guide.
For there's floods which may come to wash us out.
And, we need faith- when it's easy to doubt.

We have revelation spoken from God to man.
A promised gift that can impel us to “I can!”
The Lord has not left us unassisted.
He's our strength. And, for us, He persisted.

He gives testimony, prophecy, and comfort.
He teaches us restraint, and gives us full support.
It's a grand priv'ledge to every true saint.
We're informed, we can run, and we'll not faint.

Although we may not see our Lord from face to face.
His blessings now extend to all the human race.
Our Savior endured pain unassisted.
Yet, with faith and covenants, we are assisted.



He Heals the Heavy Laden

With His yoke upon us, may our burden by light.
He has healed the sick and lame. And, He has restored sight.

One way or another, we feel inadequate
When challenged with affliction, we wish that it would quit.

Whether sicknesses are spiritual or mental
Or emotional or more, He healed them one and all

He caused the deaf to hear and, He cleansed leprosy.
Though withered they were restored, He caused the blind to see.

Of each ailments of man- He knows how they feel
Though not limited, His span.. It's our faith that we heal.

He knows us to each hair, for us He bore anguish
He paid the price for sin. And for Him we now languish.

For He carries our burdens by giving us patience,
Or understanding, or strength for our experience.

Each heavy laden man- can turn to the Savior
Each, lest He fall to despair, bound to - endless pressure.

We can come unto Christ, In Him be perfected.
By the power of the atonement, He'll cleanse what's infected.-



Good, Better, Best

Our time has limits- yes.
And, the world rushes by.
Who is in need of us?
Oh, if we had wings to fly...

When we are together
May we feel the clock slow;
And ponder forever.
Where each moment we will know.

We try to do what's “good”.
And hope for what is “best”.
Progressing as we should.
Towards “better” is the quest.

We resolve and factor.
And think where we have flown.
When we self- monitor.
We will find where we have grown.

What we learn, we can teach.
From lessons we'll prepare.
With thoughts in how to reach.
Then, apply it with great care.


Tesimony

We discover much from how we feel
We gather wisdom from what we see
There is one more way that is just as real
It is a spiritual witnessing
And, to the learner it means a great deal

It's the Holy Ghost reaching our soul
Though to the natural man it can't be learned
Into our mind and heart God's truths are told
There to be received and then discerned
It often grows as to others it is burned

A testimony of gospel facts
Cannot be sold or even preached
It's a gift borne of out of certain acts
To the humble seeker, it is reached
Oft come when in prayer one has beseeched

The young Joseph Smith learned from God this way
He bore testimony of a great light
Shown to him after he had knelt to pray
Then Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
Came before his eyes with much to say
And this was the miracle, from his faith

That was his testimony, what of ours?
How can we come to know what he said is true?
First, desire then sincere prayer empowers
Sometimes included is fasting too
Then there's patience, process, and bearing it new

There is much we can do to help it grow
What's at our core so testimonies aren't weak?
An assurance of God's love- we need to know
That we have a Savior kind, pure, and meek
And, that the Holy Ghost can dwell and speak

There's more to have His spirit with us
We must partake of the sacrament
And, not be ashamed to speak of Jesus
Some have a gift for direct obtainment
And we can learn through their discernment

We've each a gift and a path to God
And we're each different as the sands of the sea
Yet, the Holy Ghost speaks to all through a rod
Where the deaf can hear and the blind now see
We've much to do and we've help to be


The Testimony That We Bear

The testimony that we bear
Comes from these things that we share:
Gospel truths we appreciate
And how they've taught us as of late
About the Godhead, and the plan
The atonement and salvation of man

Of the restorations and power of prayer
How in the hour of need, God is there
It's not of travels, nor do we preach
It's a witness that to us God does reach
That His tender mercy has become more real
As we obey, study, and humbly kneel

"Testimony"

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The Captain of the Soul- Invictus/ The Soul's Captain by Elder Orson F. Whitney

Invictus by William E. Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The Soul's Captain [The Answer]
by Elder Orson F. Whitney
of the Quorum of the Twelve
Art thou in truth? Then what of him
Who bought thee with his blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood?
Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but him could bear.
The God who died that man might live,
And endless glory share?
Of what avail thy vaunted strength,
Apart from his vast might?
Pray that his Light may pierce the gloom,
That thou mayest see aright.
Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree.
Thou, captain of thy soul, forsooth
Who gave that place to thee?
Free will is thine — free agency
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto him
To whom all souls belong.
Bend to the dust that head "unbowed,"
Small part of Life's great whole!
And see in him, and him alone,
The Captain of thy soul

He's Been There Before

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 Mission

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.

Kelly Miller

153 Countries Visited! June 2015


Global Statistics
Visits from 153 countries registered.
No.CountryDate of Last VisitPercent & Number of Visits ↓
1
United States
June 15, 2015
82.86%25,281
2
United Kingdom
June 14, 2015
2.61%795
3
Canada
June 13, 2015
2.42%737
4
Australia
June 13, 2015
1.81%551
5
Philippines
June 14, 2015
1.35%412
6
New Zealand
June 14, 2015
0.99%303
7
India
June 14, 2015
0.79%241
8
Brazil
June 14, 2015
0.58%176
9
Germany
May 15, 2015
0.49%151
10
Mexico
June 3, 2015
0.40%121
11
South Africa
June 8, 2015
0.34%105
12
Russian Federation
Apr 20, 2015
0.26%80
13
France
June 3, 2015
0.21%64
14
Malaysia
June 5, 2015
0.14%44
15
Czech Republic
Apr 17, 2015
0.14%42
16
Pakistan
Mar 21, 2015
0.13%41
17
Spain
Apr 28, 2015
0.13%41
18
Italy
June 8, 2015
0.13%39
19
Netherlands
May 28, 2015
0.12%38
20
Europe
June 11, 2015
0.11%35
21
Indonesia
May 18, 2015
0.11%35
22
Cote D'Ivoire
May 17, 2015
0.11%35
23
Japan
Apr 17, 2015
0.11%33
24
Singapore
May 28, 2015
0.11%33
25
United Arab Emirates
Apr 25, 2015
0.10%32
26
Argentina
Apr 27, 2015
0.10%31
27
Korea, Republic of
Feb 1, 2015
0.10%31
28
-
May 10, 2015
0.10%31
29
Thailand
Apr 5, 2015
0.10%30
30
Ireland
May 19, 2015
0.10%29
31
Jamaica
June 1, 2015
0.09%28
32
Turkey
June 14, 2015
0.09%28
33
Trinidad and Tobago
May 18, 2015
0.09%26
34
Sweden
May 8, 2015
0.09%26
35
Guatemala
May 5, 2015
0.08%24
36
Denmark
May 10, 2015
0.08%23
37
Saudi Arabia
May 1, 2015
0.07%20
38
Nigeria
Apr 4, 2015
0.07%20
39
Hong Kong
Apr 18, 2015
0.07%20
40
Colombia
May 29, 2015
0.07%20
41
Chile
Mar 23, 2015
0.06%19
42
Finland
Mar 25, 2015
0.06%19
43
Taiwan
Mar 28, 2015
0.06%18
44
Romania
May 17, 2015
0.06%18
45
Fiji
Feb 27, 2015
0.06%17
46
Ghana
May 8, 2015
0.06%17
47
Belgium
May 30, 2015
0.05%16
48
Switzerland
Apr 12, 2015
0.05%16
49
Poland
Apr 6, 2015
0.05%15
50
American Samoa
Apr 10, 2015
0.05%14
51
Ecuador
Feb 23, 2015
0.05%14
52
Serbia
Mar 10, 2015
0.05%14
53
Austria
Apr 8, 2015
0.04%13
54
Senegal
Nov 24, 2014
0.04%13
55
Norway
June 1, 2015
0.04%13
56
Uruguay
Aug 18, 2014
0.04%12
57
Peru
Apr 13, 2015
0.04%12
58
Portugal
Apr 6, 2015
0.04%12
59
Kenya
Oct 29, 2014
0.04%12
60
Tonga
Dec 9, 2014
0.04%11
61
Dominican Republic
Mar 12, 2015
0.04%11
62
Hungary
Feb 16, 2015
0.03%10
63
Guyana
Apr 28, 2015
0.03%10
64
Bangladesh
Jan 19, 2015
0.03%9
65
Algeria
Feb 5, 2015
0.03%9
66
Kuwait
Mar 30, 2015
0.03%9
67
Egypt
Apr 4, 2015
0.03%9
68
Belize
May 8, 2015
0.03%9
69
Costa Rica
Feb 4, 2015
0.03%8
70
Bahamas
Jan 9, 2015
0.03%8
71
Israel
Feb 27, 2015
0.03%8
72
Ukraine
Jan 24, 2015
0.03%8
73
Asia/Pacific Region
June 9, 2015
0.03%8
74
Honduras
Feb 6, 2015
0.02%7
75
Cyprus
Mar 21, 2015
0.02%7
76
Guam
Apr 10, 2015
0.02%7
77
Greece
June 2, 2015
0.02%7
78
China
Dec 16, 2014
0.02%7
79
Panama
Apr 7, 2015
0.02%6
80
Morocco
Mar 3, 2015
0.02%6
81
Sri Lanka
Sept 28, 2014
0.02%6
82
Iraq
Feb 25, 2015
0.02%6
83
Togo
June 6, 2015
0.02%6
84
Botswana
May 7, 2015
0.02%6
85
El Salvador
Apr 23, 2015
0.02%5
86
Vietnam
Oct 30, 2014
0.02%5
87
Cook Islands
June 3, 2015
0.02%5
88
Bulgaria
Oct 27, 2014
0.02%5
89
Lithuania
June 23, 2014
0.02%5
90
Slovakia
Jan 19, 2015
0.02%5
91
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mar 23, 2015
0.02%5
92
French Polynesia
Nov 23, 2014
0.02%5
93
Bahrain
Nov 11, 2014
0.02%5
94
Slovenia
Jan 16, 2015
0.02%5
95
Grenada
Mar 10, 2015
0.02%5
96
Qatar
Jan 15, 2015
0.02%5
97
Saint Lucia
May 8, 2015
0.02%5
98
Puerto Rico
Feb 27, 2015
0.01%4
99
Tunisia
Jan 23, 2015
0.01%4
100
Malta
Mar 22, 2015
0.01%4
101
Croatia
Jan 20, 2015
0.01%4
102
New Caledonia
Jan 13, 2015
0.01%4
103
Barbados
Apr 29, 2014
0.01%4
104
Azerbaijan
Jan 14, 2015
0.01%4
105
Moldova, Republic of
Nov 29, 2014
0.01%3
106
Lebanon
Feb 11, 2014
0.01%3
107
Zimbabwe
July 23, 2014
0.01%3
108
Benin
Feb 19, 2015
0.01%3
109
Antigua and Barbuda
Aug 1, 2014
0.01%3
110
Isle of Man
Dec 20, 2014
0.01%3
111
Bhutan
June 8, 2015
0.01%3
112
Venezuela
May 14, 2014
0.01%3
113
Georgia
Mar 3, 2015
0.01%2
114
Namibia
Oct 22, 2014
0.01%2
115
Armenia
Jan 12, 2015
0.01%2
116
Virgin Islands, U.S.
June 20, 2014
0.01%2
117
Jordan
May 19, 2015
0.01%2
118
Mozambique
June 23, 2014
0.01%2
119
Uganda
Aug 4, 2014
0.01%2
120
Marshall Islands
Jan 28, 2015
0.01%2
121
Mauritius
Feb 20, 2015
0.01%2
122
Oman
May 12, 2014
0.01%2
123
Curacao
Apr 29, 2015
0.01%2
124
Sierra Leone
Apr 26, 2015
0.01%2
125
Samoa
Nov 1, 2013
0.01%2
126
Saint Kitts and Nevis
June 30, 2013
0.01%2
127
Macau
July 18, 2014
0.01%2
128
Albania
Aug 17, 2014
0.01%2
129
Dominica
Mar 12, 2013
0.01%2
130
Ethiopia
Jan 8, 2015
0.01%2
131
Estonia
Mar 20, 2015
0.01%2
132
Cape Verde
May 27, 2013
0.00%1
133
Cayman Islands
July 27, 2014
0.00%1
134
Cambodia
Sept 16, 2013
0.00%1
135
Myanmar
July 18, 2014
0.00%1
136
Lesotho
Jan 12, 2013
0.00%1
137
Mongolia
Mar 14, 2015
0.00%1
138
Zambia
Apr 22, 2013
0.00%1
139
Montenegro
Nov 19, 2014
0.00%1
140
Kazakhstan
Jan 9, 2015
0.00%1
141
Nicaragua
May 29, 2014
0.00%1
142
Paraguay
Mar 10, 2013
0.00%1
143
Haiti
Feb 1, 2015
0.00%1
144
Timor-Leste
Feb 21, 2013
0.00%1
145
Iceland
June 20, 2014
0.00%1
146
Aruba
Jan 9, 2014
0.00%1
147
Liberia
Jan 3, 2014
0.00%1
148
Northern Mariana Islands
Oct 9, 2014
0.00%1
149
Gibraltar
Jan 27, 2014
0.00%1
150
Swaziland
June 16, 2014
0.00%1
151
Jersey
Mar 30, 2013
0.00%1
152
Niue
Nov 30, 2014
0.00%1
153
Latvia

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