One of the greatest of human desires is a feeling of happiness. We want to be happy, successful, fulfilled, and loved by others. We spend much of our time seeking ways to feel better and to improve our lot in life. Why is it then that so many people are unhappy or depressed?

We recently heard about the sad death of the great singer and songwriter Whitney Houston. A woman with an incredible voice and an amazing talent that provided beauty for all of the rest of us to enjoy. She had money, fame, recognition, popularity, adoring fans-all the things that people think are going to bring someone happiness.

Did she know how to be happy?

With all of those things that she enjoyed why did she turn to a life of alcohol and drugs? Why did she marry someone that definitely wasn’t good for her? Why did she continually lie to others about her current state of affairs and the conditions of her life?

Sadly, there are many more examples similar to hers of not showing us ways of how to be happy. I need not rehearse them here, just look in the paper tomorrow and you’ll find another one. Any of the latest issues of the tabloid magazines relish these type of stories. It’s almost as if we look at these pitiful stories as a way to make our humdrum lives seem better. “The rich and famous have it worse off than I do,” probably crosses most peoples minds while reading them.

But reading these stories does not help us learn how to be happy because seeking these things will never make us truly happy.

Remember when you were a kid? If you don’t, just be around some young kids for a while and it may strike a memory. Let’s take a trip back to childhood memories for second. Watching my own children as made me realize that I must’ve thought some of the same things when I was their age.

KIDS KNOW HOW TO BE HAPPY

Kids love to play and enjoy toys of a huge variety. Most children do not care what the condition of the toys are in. They don’t have to be latest fanciest or flashiest gizmo. Many times a simple toy truck with a broken wheel can provide hours of enjoyment. Girls can play with dolls that have had a previous unflattering haircut by their former owner and not care anything about the type of clothes they have on. I remember when my youngest daughter would cut out pictures of bras or bathing suits and tape them to her chest when she was three years old.

We see kids all over the world in deplorable horrific Third World conditions playing in the streets. A ball can be made out of almost anything and they can have fun kicking it around amidst the squalor. Kids will give things to others without thought of payment or value and enjoy the act of giving. Reading or telling a story can be as entertaining as any videogame or high production Hollywood movie.

Kids know how to be happy. Kids know the secret and we’ve just forgotten it.

It our mixed up world, we place great value on things that have little eternal value. What dying man can purchase even one more breath with all of the money he’s acquired throughout his life? (Og Mandino) What money can soothe an aching heart of guilt and remorse that has been acquired through a lifetime of lying, stealing, cheating and theft? Who can restore the loss of virtue and innocence that has been stolen by someone seeking personal pleasure through severely mixed up priorities?

Many of us find great interest in stories about celebrities who have fallen like Whitney Houston because we’re all seeking the same answers to the question is how to be happy. We look at her life and think that we would be happy with everything she had, but the fact is we wouldn’t. We would suffer the same fate.

Are you ready for the secret of how to be happy? Are you willing to put aside all your preconceived notions for a moment, all of the things that you’ve read today that promise a release from pain and the gratification of pleasure if you’ll just purchase such and such product? Are you ready to be revealed one of the most profound and simple truths of all eternity?

Finding Peach, Happiness and Joy

Here is the great secret of how to be happy. Here is the ultimate source of peace and contentment in a loud and noisy world. Don’t be shocked if you’ve heard it before because it’s been talked through the ages by thinkers, poets and prophets alike.

The great secret to of how to be happy is service to others.

Service that is freely given without pay or even desire for a return. Service that is unselfishly given and the more anonymously given, the greater feeling of peace. It’s just as Jesus when he said (paraphasing): “when you give to your brother, make sure that no one sees you, so that your Father in Heaven can reward you”.

I attended a church once and I noticed on the side of the bench a name engraved on a plaque attached to the bench. In fact as I looked around, every bench had a plaque on them. I also noticed bricks on the floor with names on them, columns holding up the ceiling and walls with names engraved in them, posts, basins, picture frames, doors, etc. all with names engraved on them. It was obvious that the church was trying to give people motivation to give to their church with the reward of people noticing their name, even long after the time that they died where they would be remembered and thought about.

Sadly, their reward did not go with them. They had received that reward in life and have been deceived. They received adulation and adoration for the money given as a donation. Because they had received that reward their Father in Heaven had nothing to give them.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints I have worked many times with the youth in our wards. Many youth programs in other churches spend a lot of money creating opportunities for kids to go on trips to Disneyland or Magic Mountain or even foreign countries. The LDS church looks of such activities as not being very spiritually profitable. With extremely limited budgets we spend all our time trying to find ways to bring the spirit into their lives and service projects are one of the greatest ways to do so. Cleaning up an elderly woman’s yard, fixing the roadway along the bike path, shoveling the snow from off the walkway of an invalids home, bringing food to someone stricken with the disease — there are endless ways to serve mankind.

And every single time we have felt the spirit and been happy.

Yes I know it would be wonderful to be able to spend our time in service to one another and not have to worry about paying the bills and working for a meager sustenance, but you can still be happy in whatever profession you are involved in. It’s great to have a job where you feel happy and love going to work. But if you don’t, just know that if you want to know how to be happy, start thinking of someone else. Every person in the world can find someone worse off than themselves. Everyone has burdens to bear and would love a tender smile or complement or kind act from an anonymous source.

How to Be Happy

Jesus was right. If we want to know how to be happy, give of yourself.

Dear President Obama and Fellow Americans,

This is an open letter to you. My name is Kelly Smith and I’m from Sparks Nevada. There are a lot of things on my mind and I was hoping that somehow this video would get to you and those who are thinking the same way I am.

For the first time in my life I am petrified and scared to death as to what I see happening in our country. I am frightened for my children’s futures and there are a number of things that need to be done.

First of all Mr. President Obama, let me compliment you on a couple of things: number one, thank you for the amount of deportation efforts you have done with illegal aliens. Thank you for stepping up and doing something about that. These people are causing a severe drain on our society and our economy. You’ve made a step in the right direction. We could use some more. I think anyone that commits a crime as an illegal alien should be deported within days. Although this is highly unlikely to happen, its what should happen. So I want to compliment you on that.

President Obama, another thing I want to compliment you on, is that a lot of people criticize you for taking too long to make a decision. In one sense I’m like you, we are both thinkers and we have to weigh things out of our mind to come up with a decision and then we go forward. And so I want to compliment you with that too in not making rash decisions but to think it out.

You’re also a good example of the family man with your two daughters. I have five kids and I know what it’s like to raise them in today’s world and it looks you are doing a pretty good job there.

[You also once condemned Super Pacs and I agree with you, but then you have gone full swing into supporting them and I guess I can understand why.]

President Obama, you are a likable person and you don’t come across as mean or angry. You come across as likable. [I would love to sit down with you and have a Root Beer some time (since I don't drink Beer) and we could have a good conversation.]

[Everybody can be complimented about something and you deserve some compliments so] I don’t want to leave you with only criticisms because I do have some criticisms and this is what I’m nervous about. First question:

President Obama, Why do you seemingly hate America so bad?

What is it about our country that you just want to completely change it? From something that worked to something that doesn’t work? The reason we became such a great country was because of freedom, because of capitalism, because of the Constitution and because of our freedom of religion. The principles espoused in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, those two need each other and go hand-in-hand together.

But it seems like almost everything you do is to destroy all that, and I don’t understand why. Please help me understand what’s going on here. You claim to be a constitutional scholar and that you read it at Harvard and studied it and your degree is related to it. I have a question for you:

What Constitution were you reading? It doesn’t seem to be the same one that I have read and I love.

Maybe President Obama, you’re similar to Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she told the people in Egypt when they said they were going to build their Constitution and she told him NOT  to model it after the United States Constitution. How can a Supreme Court justice who determines the validity of our laws and sits on the bench go and claim to another country not to follow those same laws? If there is a legal way to remove that judge, she should be removed. That was an absolutely unacceptable answer and a frightful thing. As President, you swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. I don’t see you doing that!

President Obama, you have stated before that the way you can tell about who you are and what you are as a person is to see who you surround yourself with.

You said that years ago. Well, if that’s true then we have some severe problems. There are a lot of people that you surround yourself with that are just not who I expect a leader of our country to have supporting and guiding them. You have appointed all of these Czars, many of them are radical, liberal, left-wing, communistic and socialistic people that aren’t going to do anything good for our country as they do not follow the principles of the founding fathers who created it. And then you’ve given them powers that are unconstitutional. They’ve gone forth and exercised a number of things and mandates from you that are against everything we stand for as a country.

Another thing: You recently commented and made this big deal about how the Catholic Church and other churches have to follow these certain rules that provide abortion or contraceptive care for everyone, for free. Well, you know that raised quite a ruckus and the reason is that its against the Constitution! What right do you have to tell any church what to do or believe? You don’t. But the interesting thing about this is that you made it look like it’s a religious issue because there are people that don’t want to provide contraception. No. What’s happened here is that you’ve infringed upon a religions right to act according to its belief and conscience and then mandated that insurance companies also provide that care just like in Obamacare.

President Obama, what right do you have to tell insurance companies what to do?

You don’t have that right! You do not have that right! Yet you are mandating it and saying that this is going to be done. This is not fair. This is not right. This is all unconstitutional.

What other things are you going to do next year if you get elected again? What other constitutional principles are you going to remove, erase or blot out? Are you going to go after the second amendment? The right to hold and bear arms? Is that what your plan is? What other things are you going to do? Completely eliminate all personal privacy? Make “gay marriage” the law of the land when the vast majority of the country does not want that? Hire more and more Federal Agents and government workers to place additional burdens on those who work for a living? I don’t know. The possibilities are endless and frightening.

The direction that you’re going, the things that you are doing now, even when you’re trying to get elected are astonishing. So what are you going to do next time if you don’t care about getting elected? I am petrified. President Obama, I’ll be honest- I am scared to death of what you will do or what your attempts will be after the next election if you are our president.

Now another thing President Obama, our country is suffering severely under an economic malaise. You keep blaming George Bush for these things. Frankly, in some cases, you’re right. I wasn’t happy with a lot of the things George Bush did either. He freely went out and spent all kinds of money which shouldn’t have been spent. Now granted, there’s 9/11 and we can give him some leeway for that, but the fact is, he way overdid it.

But your criticism of him doing that doesn’t hold any water. Why? As Senator Obama you voted for those same expenses and you as President Obama have outspent him in only three years what he took eight years to do! This is absolutely unacceptable! We are turning into Greece!

President Obama, have you watched what’s happening to Greece?

All of these people have been given all of these things for all of these years, expecting the government to provide everything for them, and they got everything. They got their paycheck, their health care, free dental care, vacations and who knows what else they got and now the government can’t afford it anymore.

Capitalism is the engine that provides the money and energy for our government, or any government President Obama. That’s the way it should be. Government should not be in the business of being in business. They should be in the business of protecting our country, our rights and regulating only a few minor things as outlined in the Constitution. [Most of the time spent by Congress and the House and even especially the Executive Wing are unconstitutional and should be repealed because of that.]

Why are you espousing principles that will turn us into West Greece President Obama?

Why? You can see the direction it’s going to go. We’re not going to be any different. At least Greece has someone to bail them out. The European Union got together and send them some money as long as they made some big cuts, but nobody’s going to bail us out! Please stop this! Stop this assault on our capitalism. We need a leader to make the hard decisions so we can have a future!

And you’re even making it worse President Obama. You’re saying we’re going to make it fair for absolutely everyone. Everyone’s going to have a fair shake. Everyone’s going to be equal.

There is no such thing as equality in this manner. Not like that. There never has been. President Obama, when you tell every single millionaire and billionaire in our country that we’re going to tax you to death, is that going to make more millionaires? No. It’s going to make less. It’s going to remove all incentive too for anyone who would do the work to get there.

Money is going to flow where it is appreciated and it can grow.

If our country doesn’t want to millionaires and billionaires in it, okay, we will have our wish. They’re going to go where they’re wanted and appreciated and can succeed the way they want to. We’re going to lose them all and it will be your fault President Obama. There will be no reason to stay here so they can have the freedom to make the money they want.

Society, financially, has always been unequal and every attempt throughout history to make it equal has resulted in disaster. President Obama, you claim to be a scholar of the Constitution and history, but have you looked at history? Have you seen what’s happened? This idea that you’re espousing is nothing new. It has been tried hundreds and hundreds of times! Socialism has failed every time it has been tried!

And that’s the beauty of what America was when it was founded. It was founded on the idea that people could regulate themselves, when they had the freedom away from government and let them do what they want on their own, by their own initiative that they could accomplish something, they could do something, they can be rewarded for something. In the aftermath of that, what did they do? They gave to their neighbors. They helped their friends, they build them up, the churches took care of a lot of people like that.

We can’t provide for everybody from a government point of view. Look at all the waste, fraud and abuse at every level of government. Why would we not more of that? Why are you doing that? Why are you assaulting our capitalistic society? Our Constitution? Our religious freedom? The Freedom to make money and do the things that we want to do? Why? I don’t get it! I don’t understand the motivation President Obama!

You have been criticized a lot for going to the Rev. Jerry Wright sermons for 20 years. And then you came out of there and claimed she didn’t realize what he said. You can’t attend the ministers preaching for 20 years and not know where he stands. I’m sorry President Obama, I’m going to call you on that one. That is not accurate, fair or even logical. Looking at his teachings and some of the things he said may give us an idea of some things that you believe.

President Obama, I am begging you to stop this assault on our foundations and freedoms!

PRESIDENT OBAMA REJECTS KEYSTONE PIPELINE LIKE THIS ONE IN ALASKA

You need to do something about our economy. You had an recent opportunity to do something that would greatly benefit our economy by approving the Keystone pipeline providing oil from Canada to our oil refineries in Texas. It’s the safest way of the world to transport oil. It’s safer than anything. It’s safer than trucks, it’s safer than oil tankers, you name it, it’s the safest way there is.

Instead, because you’re bowing to one group of people that are frankly wacko environmentalists, you stopped this project. If these environmentalists were really concerned about the environment they would vote for this pipeline in droves because it does more to save the environment than anything. They’ve got this idea that somehow if they can stop this pipeline then Americans will burn less oil. No! We won, we can’t. We have to heat our homes, we have to drive our cars, we have to teach our buildings, we have to produce things all the time it takes energy to do so. President Obama, as much as you promote solar and wind power projects, they are not always on! Oil is the only thing that is totally reliable. It takes energy to create anything, energy that needs to happen with a switch. To remove this pipeline and say that it might affect an environmentally sensitive area of Nebraska? Okay then, go around it! I don’t get it!

President Obama you can help our economy in drastic ways to make us less dependent upon nations like Iran, who we’re paying money to for this oil from their country and they want to kill us! I don’t get it! What is the point?

So now Canada, looks like they’re going to take that oil and sell it directly to China. We won’t receive any benefit from that. Not only will it not help our country reduce our expenses on oil, we will help our enemies get stronger. China, I’m sorry is an enemy. Be very cautious of what China thinks, says and does because they’re not who they say they are. Now they’re going to get the benefit of all that Canadian oil and we won’t. We’re going to pay even higher gas.

President Obama your policies are killing our country! I’m begging you to please stop this. Make a big change. You want to be elected this year? I know you do. You keep saying you don’t and you said that if you can turn this economy around three years then you don’t deserve a second term, well, I’m sorry you don’t deserve a second term by your own words! Under those parameters you don’t.

But I think I know you. I know that’s what you want is to be reelected. Then make a switch. Turn around, and recognize these policies and decisions that you made that are incorrect. Please! I’m begging you. I’m just a normal one little guy out here in Nevada. I’m just one American citizen. I am one vote! That’s all I am to you or any politician, one vote.

President Obama, if you want my vote then make some CHANGES so that we can have HOPE for the future of America!

This is Kelly Smith, signing off. Thank you, President Obama.

Soon after I received the Aaronic Priesthood at 12 years of age, and was ordained a Deacon, my father was ordained a Bishop in the newly formed Sparks Fifth Ward. In his quest to better understand his calling he took our family to attend General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, held in the Tabernacle at that time. Between the sessions of conference we toured Temple Square and I noticed a large beautiful compass inlaid in the concrete between the Tabernacle and the Salt Lake Temple. I stood at the center of that compass, aligned myself to the brass pointer that was pointing north and stretched out my arms pointing east and west.

True North Compass Salt Lake City (photo © Ursula the Sea Witch)

It was almost as if I understood for the first time where True North was.

On our way home back to Sparks Nevada we traveled along desolate Highway 50 and visited Lehman Caves in far eastern Nevada. It was a beautiful experience to see all the stalactites, stalagmites and other natural formations. It was a maze of tunnels that twisted and turned in every direction. Eventually our group of about 150 visitors found ourselves in a very large cavern. Our tour guide then did an interesting thing; he turned off the lights! For the first time in my life, I experienced absolute complete darkness. I am sure it was the first time for several of the other attendees.

HE TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS WHILE WE WERE IN THE CAVE

In the midst of the darkness he asked us to point where we think true North was. He gave us about 15 seconds to get our bearings and turn the way that we thought it should be. I envisioned the inlaid compass on Temple Square where we had come from, turned around, and pointed in the direction I thought it would be. When our tour guide turned on the lights we noticed a very interesting thing: no one was pointing in the same direction, and the only one that was correct was me.

Everyone else had, in reality, just pointed directly in front of them.

I have never forgotten that experience which occurred almost 40 years ago. I have also never forgotten the lessons. Most people think that they’re going in the right direction and that they know the way to go. They think they’re doing the right thing and everyone else is either doing it wrong, or it doesn’t matter which way they go. It reminds me of the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants 1:16 where, “every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god.” As far as I could tell I was the only person that was pointing in the right direction because I had aligned myself to the compass on Temple Square first. In that way I knew which direction True North was.

There is also another powerful lesson. The words we hear delivered from the Prophet and leaders in Salt Lake City in the Tabernacle and now the new Conference Center are the words that will lead us in the right direction back to our Heavenly Father. They are the same words that Jesus Christ would speak to us today if were living among us.  While there are lots of voices in the world urging us to go one way or another, only the true words from our Prophet, Apostles and other general authorities will tell us the right way to go. This is also true of listening to our local leaders such as Bishops and Stake Presidents because they also receive their instructions from those same leaders.

When the prophet speaks we need to listen. He is speaking the words of Jesus Christ.

How many of us would be in better shape temporally or financially if we had heeded the words of President Hinckley in 1998 urging each of us to get out of debt? He said, “I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.” (1) He said this just before the spike and subsequent fall of the dot com era. The financial world has never been stable since. I wished I had listened better to his words.

How many of our families would be stronger in the Gospel if we had given heed to the words of the prophets to study our scriptures together and pray as a family every day? How about learning about Jesus Christ and trying to be more like him? How many of us are prepared for a future day when the guidance of obtaining a years supply of food, fuel and money has been given? How many of us are doing our part to warn our neighbor and share the gospel with them as requested by President Monson?

I have known many people over the years that, although they have been fairly faithful members of the church (in my limited vision), they have decided not to follow the advice of the prophets and leaders of the church and now find themselves in precarious positions. They have decided to follow after their own God and not Jesus Christ. 

• Some have not given heed to the urging of us to support governmental legislation limiting marriage between one Man and one Woman. We now face the very real threat of the destruction of the time honored tradition of the institution of marriage and that may destroy our country as noted in the Proclamation on the Family.

• Some people in the world who have become so intellectually entrenched in the teachings of the world that they have fallen victim to the ideas espoused by Korihor in the Book of Mormon and now find themselves outside the Church. Some have even claimed that they would do things differently than God has done, thereby saying that they know more than He does. Nephi warned, “When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.” (2 Ne 9:28)

• Some families have it as their entire goal was to have their children get college scholarships at any cost, including attendance at Church, Mutual, Scout Camp or service activities. If something got in the way of achieving their beloved scholarship, it was cast aside. The sad thing is that not only did their children not achieve the desired scholarships, none of them are active in the church today. We always need to keep Christ as the center of our lives and stay in the mainstream of the church. Once priorities are misplaced, severe problems can occur.

• Some people justify their addiction to a plethora of products promoted in the world today to eat and drink because they are not specifically mentioned in the word of wisdom. They have ignored the true meaning of that Scripture and feel that it is perfectly okay, not recognizing a loss of the spirit because of their actions. The obedience of all commandments will bring the promised blessings to those who desire them. They have replaced the spirit of Jesus Christ with temporary substances.

I’m sure you have seen examples in your own lives of similar experiences, each one directing his way from True North-type principles espoused by our prophets and leaders. In many ways this analogy is similar to the multitude or masses of people feeling there way towards the great and spacious building and away from the simple peace obtained by achieving the fruit from the love of God, the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in the Tree of Life as mentioned in 1 Nephi Chapter 8.

Everyone in these groups are doing what they want and not what they have been directed to do.

In reality, peace and safety in a world of torment and confusion can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus Christ that we may achieve true happiness and peace, forgiveness of our sins and weaknesses and obtaining hope and faith in a better world to come. While many of us may find ourselves in literal or spiritual darkness for a portion of our lives (similar to being in the large cavern in Lehman caves) if we will hold the iron rod, which is the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, including the words spoken by our prophets and leaders spoken from our local leaders and those in Salt Lake City, we will find our way back to live with our Heavenly Father.

Our Father and Our God-JESUS CHRIST

It is my testimony that Jesus Christ lives and that He is the only way whereby we may achieve salvation in the celestial world to come. It is my testimony that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, Thomas S. Monson is also a true prophet and if we will give heed to the words from all of the prophets and apostles of our day, we will be blessed to know we are heading in the right direction.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The things that have been held dear for thousands of years are now tossed out with the daily trash. The values of our Judeo-Christian teachings, the power and simplicity of the Constitution, the wonder and beauty of marriage, the faith and hopes of generations are all seemed to be valued as used toilet paper.

What stuns me is witnessing the absolute determination by a dictatorial regime to destroy our laws and turn America into a nation of dependents. While those who seek for power or money are rarely stopped at all, we are losing our freedoms on a daily basis. Telling religions that they MUST to do this or that; courts saying that what the voters in California voted on TWICE to establish what IS Constitutional regarding marriage is now ruled incorrect by a super-small minority; the attack on our society to make choices on their own as to how they want to live; the killing of millions of unborn children each year for conveniences sake; the skyrocketing of debts that can never be paid back and which has bankrupted our country and burdened our children for generations; the purposeful destruction of Capitalism and switch to Socialism absolutely MUST Stop! 

What has happened to my country? What is in store for my children’s future? I didn’t raise them to live in West Greece or Sodom and Gomorrah.

There is only one way to fight back and that is to educate and teach the masses, one person at a time, the realities of what these decisions will mean and what the consequences of them are. All of these things have been prophesied of in times past, I just didn’t think I would live to see them or that they would happen much later in my life.

God established America and directed its founding and Constitution. Every nation or people that live on this land are to worship the God of this land who is Jesus Christ and unless they do, they will be swept off and it will be given to another. This has already happened TWICE before and recorded in the Book of Mormon.

The things we are seeing today are the same as recorded in that volume but the final destruction came about because the people did not serve a government of the land, they became Anarchists and so there was a tremendous Civil War that destroyed them all. The people fell into terrible sins and degenerated into severe immorality, thus causing the loss of The Spirit of God. We are about to lose that spirit and our protection.

How long will He wait? How long will he continue to support us amidst such terrible wickedness? I don’t know but I do know that things are not better today than they were in the past. We are about to witness the wrath of God upon our nation if we do not change course and go back to what we know to be right.

The ruling today by the California courts that say that the CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED ban on Same Sex Marriage is somehow Unconstitutional, is appalling.

MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN ONLY!

How can activist judges like this have such sway in our land? Those judges need to be removed from office for dereliction of duty and by not supporting the Constitution.

It also  marks a terrible trend in our country if not reversed. As mentioned, children have a RIGHT to be born to real parents who love and care for them as mentioned in the Proclamation on the Family and commented by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who said, “It was then and is now a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit.”

We need to support marriage and those willing to bring God’s children into this world. We need to support Marriage between One Man and One Women ONLY!

Marriage is ordained of God.

Why do some people say they refuse to vote for Romney, but won’t admit the reason is because he is Mormon?

Some even say they will vote for Obama over Romney, even though they are Republican.

That makes no sense whatsoever!

They even try to make the claim that Romney and Obama are somehow the same type of person. How in the world did they arrive at that conclusion? Some have even stated that they would rather vote for an Adulterer than a Mormon. Really? Who isn’t flagging the hypocrisy in that statement?

In reality, I think it is because of an unspoken hatred towards members of the LDS Church that somehow swells up inside of them whenever religion is brought up. It’s OK to join almost any church in the world, as long as it isn’t the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Yet it has been that way since the beginnings of the church. When Joseph Smith first told a pastor about his experience of seeing God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ in vision a few days before, the man blew up and yelled that it was all of the devil and that God did not appear to man today!

Apparently nothing has changed.

Romney is a good man whose only real fault (in the eyes of many) is that he is a Mormon. Do you like Harry Reid? He is also one, although you could hardly tell as power has gone to his brain and his only desire is to retain that power. He is practically like Saul of old. Maybe the same will happen with Romney? Maybe he will turn against everything he has been taught and become a flaming liberal in everything he does and says.

So what would you rather have? A man who stands for his faith and has even said that he will not deny his faith and to vote for someone else if that is what you want, or, one who will do and say anything to get elected and stay in power?

Let me ask you a question or two: Do you know any members of the LDS Church? What are they like? Are they evil, lazy or mean? Do they try to hit on your wife? Did they steal your car?

Even if you know a Mormon that did any or all of those things (and more) aren’t most member of the LDS Church nice, polite, hard-working and friendly people? Do you think this is just a guise, a ruse or a deceptive practice? If not, then maybe they are just taught to be that way from the teachings of the church. Maybe they are actually living the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ so long ago. Maybe they are trying to do the best they can and want the best for you in the process.

For some reason many so-called “Christians” have this deep-seated hatred and enmity towards members of the LDS Church. Who is it that causes these feelings in people? Who is it that hates everything that comes from God and is the cause of so much evil in the world today? Who will do anything to get people to fall and lose the spirit of God in their lives? Why did that preacher yell at a 14 year old boy that he had been deceived by the Devil and was in reality just jealous that he himself had never had such a vision?

Are you listening to him too?

The next time you look at or talk to a member of the Mormon Church, remember the scripture: “By their fruits, ye shall know them.” If they are good people, then support them. If they are working hard and trying to raise their family in a wicked world, say something nice to them. If they are trying to live the Gospel by their words and deeds, learn where they got that Gospel and make it part of your life.

Mitt Romney is not a perfect person, as we have only had one that ever lived on the earth with those qualifications. If Romney ends up winning this election and turns into another Harry Reid, I will do all I can to get him removed from office. If he keeps his covenants and lives the gospel, I am going to support him as long as his policies are Constitutionally based.

But not voting for him just because he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is just plain dumb as we will end up with another 4 years of the worst president in US History. The “fruits” of his service are evident everywhere and he has no record to run on.

Elect Romney. Put aside your bias. Think with your head. Save our country!

It takes a long time to build a building like a skyscraper. It also takes a lot of money. A design must be created, permits acquired, contractors and workers hired, machinery directed, electrical and plumbing resources supplied and years of blood sweat and toil to create something to reach the sky and fulfill a purpose. Once built, this skyscraper can house and employ hundreds or thousands of people. Services can be rendered and profits made. The original investor can make a return on his investment.

And it can all be destroyed in minutes as witnessed on 9-11.

Those who build things are the heroes in this world. Those who create and produce are to be heralded and held up as inspirations to all others. Those who do it honestly should be regarded as saints. Whether it is building a family, a business, a community or a nation, we need to support them. Those who destroy them are the scum of the earth. Osama Bin Laden got his just rewards and eternal justice is now his fate. It took millions of dollars to build the World Trade Center. It would take billions to replace it today. Yet it only took a few thousand dollars to destroy it.

That’s the unfortunate balance of power wielded by those who create vs. those who destroy. It is far easier and cheaper to destroy than create.

In our technologically wonderful society are we using such power to do any good today? Have you ever tried to express your ideas on a website, forum, Facebook or Twitter? What comments did you receive from those of an opposing view?

I submit that going to an online forum to express your opinion is like going into a minefield. The comments made by those who hide behind a fake name and cutesy avatars are ruthless and cruel with no sense of decency or humanity. They say things they would never say to a person face-to-face. As they hide behind such cover, their small minds are running wild with the basest of thoughts and words, most commonly 4-letter ones with unusual variations and all in the guise of being “clever.” There is little humanity, let alone decency. The boundaries have been removed as they feel they have a voice for the world and want to be seen as sharp-witted while skewering their opponents with fiendish delight.

The power of a mask can be most damaging.

Where is the good-natured intellectual banter that can stimulate an interesting discussion? Why can’t someone with an opposing point of view be allowed to speak without impugning the motives of his own mother? Instead, its cloak and dagger, stab and run, slash and burn. It’s like most violent video games I have seen; the opponent is just expected to vanish after you have blasted them with a hand-held sub atomic pistol.

Now witness the growth of something new: Super PACs

In our politically charged world we now see something never before seen in the history of politics with Super PACs. These were at first announced as a first amendment victory for anyone of any income to say as they wish and not be stopped. Now it appears that not all is as hoped. Since we are in an election year and the only ones vying for first place are Republicans, Super PACs have been formed to be the voice of a contender and say things he cannot say. They skewer the opponent under the guise of freedom of speech, with or without the permission of the one they supposedly support whether they are true or not. The law states that the contender can have no contact or say in what the Superpac says as that would be a violation. Mitt Romney decried them and wished that they could just give the money directly to the campaigns so they could be responsible for what was said in their behalf and could remove or change it as necessary.

And just today (FEB 7, 2012), Obama did a total about-face and decided to support Super PACs, something he vehemently denounced last year. But since he desperately wants to get elected, he told all of his supporters to send money to Super PACs that support him.

People emotions and excitement about the future of politics has never been lower and Super PACs will not help matters, but only make them worse.

It’s a race to the bottom as to who can dig up the most dirt, smear the most mud and cut the legs out from under the other the fastest. Sadly, the candidate is held responsible for the actions of someone they cannot control, let alone even talk to. Lies and innuendo are strewn about with abandon and we are left to pick up the pieces. No wonder it becomes difficult to trust those in power as they misuse their money in such a manner.

The other day I tried to get on a forum to defend something I saw written against Mitt Romney. I had never had so many names and slanderous terms thrown at me in all my life. None of the replies had anything to do with the question. I hadn’t read that many 4-letter words among everything I had read in the entire past year. I might as well have been a fish thrown into a meat grinder as no one cared one minute what I had to say or thought. No one defended my position. No one read anything beyond the name Mitt Ro… I was toast. Yet every one of those detractors used a pseudonym and avatar to hide behind. I was the only one who used my name and actual photo. With wolfish delight they used my name for the rest of the day as one who was off-base and should be shunned. My name became a cliché and a euphemism of derision.

There was no desire to listen to any opposing point of view. Obama is their King and anyone who looked like he supported a contender was nothing more than a bug that needed to be squished, dissected, dismembered and burned. How can anyone live under such conditions?

DOES THE STATUE OF LIBERTY STAND FOR SUPER PACS?

Is there anywhere two people can have a real discussion anymore? Can we find a way to work out our differences and come to a conclusion based on sound principles? Is there any hope left for the future of America? Is there any humanity left outside of helping your own friend?

I believe there is. I hope there is and I invite everyone to quit hiding behind a mask and ignore those who do. Quit hiring or supporting those whose only desire is to hit and run. Show who you are and stand up for truth and what you believe in. Be open to opposing points of view. Act like a human and treat others humanely.

Lets build an America that will last, one that will survive and head in a positive direction, founded on the principles of our founding fathers. Of course we have to stand up to falsehood and not compromise on principle, but just because the opposition is doing the exact opposite of what we want, does that make them someone that needs to be hung because of their opinion? Do we still need to tar and feather those who are different? Do we still need to crucify those who may be better than we are because we are jealous of what they are or say? Let’s stand up for what is right and with understanding, listening and kindness, win over those with opposing points of view.

You can’t build and destroy at the same time.

Thats also true with Super PACs.

Everyone asks themselves at one time in their life: Who Am I?

Everyone at one time in their lives has asked the question, “Who am I?” The sad thing is that most people do not know and in fact its worse than that. Many people believe the wrong things about who they are and this causes numerous problems in their lives.

Have you ever asked, Who Am I?

If so, let me give a little insight and understanding as to who you are.

The Hubble space telescope was designed and created to act as an orbiting satellite above the atmosphere, clouds and pollution that blocks our earthbound telescopes view of the celestial heavens.

I’m not sure if you remember what happened when they first turned it on.  Something was terribly wrong-everything was fuzzy.

After doing a little research they discovered that the company that manufactured the lens made it to the wrong specifications. It was off by 1/50^th of a human hair! But with a marvel of engineering, a budget far greater than the $299 per eye that LASIK surgery supposedly costs and with another trip to space, the Hubbell received corrective lenses.

They then set about working on one of its primary objectives-to see how far it could see.  They pointed to a dark spot inside the Big Dipper-a place where they could see no stars.  They zoomed the lens in as far as it would go and left the shutter open for 10 whole days to gather in as much light as possible.

Now this is a very small area of space.  Just take your forefinger and your thumb and imagine holding a single grain of sand.  Then stretch your arm out as far as it will go and that grain of sand will cover the amount of sky that the Hubbell was looking at.

What it saw changed our world.

It took a photograph. Before that photo was taken for years science had proclaimed with absolute authority that, “The universe was 4.5 billion years old. Close the book! There is no need for further discussion. We have all the answers.”

That photo made them reopen the book.

Do you know what it saw?  It saw one star.  A star so big that it defies all our knowledge of physics.  But it also saw something far more amazing.  It saw 1500 galaxies comprised of well over 50 billion stars.

Now science proclaims with equal authority that the universe is 13.5 billion years old.  They still got it wrong!

We live in an Infinite Universe

Why? Because the universe is infinite!  Suppose we could take the Hubbell and point it at one of the dark spaces in between those 1500 galaxies.  We can’t do it, because were at its limitations but you suppose we could for a moment.  Suppose we had a single grain of sand at 100,000,000,000 light-years arm’s length away. What would it see?

It would see another 1500 galaxies and 50 billion stars.  You see the universe is infinite-there is no end.  We’re not talking only in the direction of the Big Dipper but we are talking that direction, in this direction, and that direction and that direction.  In every direction it goes on and on forever.

How many grains of sand would it take to cover our sky? Science now states that there are more stars than there are grains of sand on our earth. In fact they redid the experiment in 2003 after its last upgrade but in a different part of space.  Instead of 1500 galaxies there over 10,000 galaxies!

Infinity is difficult for us to comprehend-something that doesn’t have a beginning or an end.  Everything for us as a start and finish.  We begin a project and we end a project.  We are born and we die.

But here’s something even more amazing-not only is the universe infinite but you are an infinite being!  You have always existed!  There is a part of you that has not and indeed cannot be created.

That is the first thing yo have to understand in answering the question, “Who am I?“

Now I’m not talking about reincarnation because that is a false principle.  We lived in different states of being but we only get one chance in mortality to prove and improve who we are. I am also not promoting that you evolved from lower life forms, for that would not make sense.

This may be against everything you’ve ever been taught, understood or believed but it’s true.  As Obi-Wan Kenobi said to Luke, “search your feelings and you will know the truth of what I’ve said”.

Now as amazing as that revelation is, here’s the thing I want to focus on-you have infinite potential.  There is no end to what you can become or accomplish.

Sometimes people ask me, “well if that is true then how come I’m not accomplishing everything I want to?  How come I’m stuck where I am? How come I keep making the same mistakes over and over again?”

One way to explain this is to relate a story as told by Jack Canfield.  Soon after an elephant is born, the elephant trainers will tie a rope around its foot and attach it to a stake in the ground.  The baby will tug and pull and struggle for some time because it’s not strong enough to break the rope.  Eventually it will give up and accept its lot in life. For the rest of its life all the elephant trainers have to do to keep the elephant in one place is to tie a flimsy rope around his foot and attach to a stake in the ground.

The 5 ton behemoth could easily break the rope or easily pull the stake out of the ground but it doesn’t believe that it can.  It’s been conditioned since it was a child to accept this limitation.

One of the saddest things I ever see is when a parent yells at a child “You’re so stupid!  Why did you do that?  Who do you think you are?”

In reality that child is an infinite being too but they just tied a rope around his leg. Is that somewhat like you when you say, “Who am I?”

Would like to know a simple way to improve your infinite potential?  I issue you a challenge-find someone today and give them a sincere compliment.  Not a superficial one like, “What a nice dress” but one from the heart. Notice something they have worked hard on and put thought into. Search for something out of the ordinary.

Watch them light up by your compliment and feel good that someone recognized their actions. Their eyes will twinkle and their smile will beam. And also watch how good you feel inside.  One secret for improving your infinite potential is by helping someone else improve theirs. A sincere compliment is a very simple and easy way to improve yourself.

I hope that today I have helped you clear away some of the atmosphere, clouds and pollution in your mind and help improve your vision as to who you really are.

“Who am I?“ You are an infinite being and you have infinite potential.

Does Obamacare Solve The Problem?

There are several photos of people on several Facebook pages that have benefited from Obamacare. More and more stories are showing up about how Obamacare has saved the day and they are now all devoted fans who practically worship Obama and what he has done for our country. The Republicans who fought against it are railed and vilified as mean spirited and selfish. Those horrible insurance companies are as evil as it gets and viewed lower than bat guano in a subterranean cavern.

If anyone tries to say anything that is remotely against these photos or stories, they will bring down the wrath of those who use their small minds to speak words of filth and debauchery so noticeably on display in the comments that abound. It is hard to have a real conversation when the only words some people know and use are four letter ones with interesting variations and combinations.

I will try to have a real discussion and bring out some reality to what is going on.

I am glad that this woman (and the others) found the means through Obamacare to have a much needed surgery. I have a friend whose wife was cancer-stricken and they also feel the same way about Obamacare. So now they, and this woman, are life-long defenders of this law and want the world to know their story. It would be difficult to be in such a situation and not have the means to afford the procedures. My heart goes out to all of them and the millions of others who face similar problems.

But does Obamacare solve the problem?

You see, so far Obamacare has solved THEIR problem, but not THE problem. THE problem is the cost of Medical Care. Government intrusion starting way back in the 60′s is what started the spiraling health care costs in this country. It used to cost about $300 to have a baby in the early 60′s. Now it’s a minimum of around $5000 and because of a society that punishes every incident or problem as incompetence, legal fees can easily raise that to around $20K or more. If they end up in the ICU for an extended time the cost can easily extend above $100K. If the child dies, the entire continent is sued for damages.

Because of these spiraling costs, government intervention, a plethora of lawyers looking to get rich (they really aren’t after justice you know), and a society that demands perfection, we now have the most burdensome system in the history of the world in Obamacare that will soon squeeze out all possible profits for any business to survive on (and yes, doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, etc. are businesses that survive on PROFITS, which is NOT a four letter word).

Therefore these businesses will cease to exist in the not-to-distant future. And it may happen sooner than you think as this article  shows that many doctors are already going broke.

If they do exist it will be in a far different format than we currently enjoy. It will be under a Socialist system that is exhibited in many countries and the reason so many of their rich come to America to get difficult procedures done, because they can’t get them in their own country.

We are going to continue to have more and more people do similar things like this woman and show how happy they are now that Obamacare “saved” them until we are so entrenched in the system that we cannot eliminate it. Then once it is fully implemented and all profits have been drained, the care that people thought they were getting will start to diminish. Most people have no idea regarding the effects of the full weight of Obamacare once it is fully implemented. It has barely begun. We are starting to see stories like this to think that what is coming is more of the same for everyone. It isn’t.

Yes you read that correctly. Obamacare does not solve the problem.

As time goes on and more and more procedures are declared “too expensive, not determined as necessary, your too old, etc.” the funds will be cut off and stories like this will cease. The insurance companies of the past had declared that there were limits on what they could spend on a lifetime of medical care per person and that preexisting conditions could not be covered. Now the Federal Government will be the ones declaring the limits and even fewer services will be performed.

Not even the Fed can pay for every needed procedure and they will have to cut back. There is no such thing as unlimited funds or unlimited care.

So instead of saving everyone from those “greedy” insurance companies and those “horrible” pharmaceutical manufacturers, we will be forced to undergo care under doctors who make little more that we do and have no desire or energy to do more than they could. Since the legal system will be altered for medicine (because we can’t just pay everybody for all the botched procedures, you know) they also won’t worry about getting sued.

All incentive to do better will be gone.

All incentive to care will be gone with it.

Enjoy this photo and the hundreds more to come on this Facebook page, because there will come a time when if possible (we won’t be able to do Facebook under a Socialist state) people will be complaining that they can’t get the care they need; they had to wait for months to see a doctor; they decided the procedure was too expensive or that it wasn’t worth trying or that some bureaucrat in DC decided that it wasn’t justified.

Many will scoff at these suggestions. I am sure a few will hurl more foul-mouthed obscenities at my logic because they don’t have a grasp on the real world nor knowledge of history. They have been taught by a system of schools that everything should be free and we should all just get along with each other.

I won’t be able to do anything about their ignorance of natural laws, I can only try to show in a logical fashion the absurdity of their assumptions. I can only try to urge people to vote for Mitt Romney to get rid of this terrible law.

So again, enjoy these photos. They won’t be the last…for a while at least thanks to Obamacare.

This is a plea for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Liberals and Conservatives to unify their support for Mitt Romney.

Hi, my name is Kelly Smith and I am from Sparks Nevada, right near Reno if your not familiar with where Sparks is. Let me share with your something. Yesterday we had a big fire in Reno where at least 32 very nice and expensive homes were severely damaged or completely destroyed. Our community came together. We all came together to help each other out. A lot of the casinos opened their doors for people to stay for the night. Red cross centers evacuated about 9500 people, schools became evacuation centers and everyone worked together in this tragedy and serious situation.

A lot of sympathy went out even though a lot of them were very wealthy people, but people sympathized with the big disruption in their lives and no one wants that to happen to them.

Right after 9-11 the whole country was extremely unified and it didn’t matter what your background was. You could be Republican, Democrat, Independent, Conservative or Liberal and it didn’t matter. You could be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Baptist or Mormon and it didn’t matter. Everybody came together. We were all Americans and we were unified at 9-11 more than at any time since December 7th, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

That is probably the most unified we have ever been since that time.

Well I am asking for additional unification at this time. You see, what is happening is that we are living in a vitriolic world right now. Everybody is yelling and screaming about this or that and nobody is being very unified.

It’s been interesting watching the Republicans bounce up and down in the polls over the last year as to who is going to be the front runner or not and they all keep taking turns. What scares me about that is that there is no unity among the Republican Party. Everybody likes this or that about Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Jon Hunstman, etc. All of them have gone up and down in the polls over the time and that scares me because there is no unification among the Republican Party. Everybody wants to take their own little candidate and they are trying to go forth with their issue and they aren’t supporting the other ones.

I was actually going for Rick Perry. I liked what he has done in Texas to a large degree with his job growth and other things, but lets face it-Rick Perry crashed and burned and he is now off my list. It was his own fault and he has no one else to blame. He completely self destructed.

Right now I am asking for unity. Here is what I would like everyone to do and the reason I made this little video. I think it is important that we choose someone with Business experience. If we are not unified we are going to suffer under another 4 years of Barack Obama. He cannot run on his record! Why he has even a 2% favorable vote is beyond me! He has the worst record of any President in the history of Presidents of the United States. Yet because of our lack of unity, we are going to get that again. Here is what is going to happen.

Right now Mitt Romney has been hovering around the lead for most of the time, but because there are so many people that can’t get behind him for some reason or the other we are going to lose. The Christians have believed lies about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for so many years that they just can’t get behind him (as shown in the stupid musical with the name of the Book of Mormon). There is just something repulsive to them about Mormons. I find that very interesting and a bit offensive.

Now the other problem we are going to face is that Ron Paul, who says a lot of great things that I agree with, but he cannot win an election! He looks terrible on TV and he can’t perform well under the cameras eye. He is a great writer, but he cannot win.

Ron Paul is most likely going to run out there and form a third party and that will fracture any support the Republican candidate will have and that will guarantee a win for Obama in this next election.

I am pleading for all Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives and Liberals who see what is going on to unify together.

I think it is important to support Mitt Romney. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I am not 100% happy with Mitt Romney. But there is no perfect candidate, they don’t exist. There is no such thing! I think that if the Christians can get over their false ideas about what Mormons believe, and if the Libertarians and Conservatives can rally around Mitt Romney and we are unified, we can win this!

Frankly, any of the Republicans that are running are a better choice than Barack Obama for President! Any of them! Barack Obama has been the worst President in the history of the United States. He has done more damage than any of his predecessors and its easy to see. And he is not changing his tune! He is not saying anything about , “Oh, I made a mistake,” and become more center-right like Clinton did, No! He is still promoting the same ideas! His record proves what he wants to do in the future!

Obama loves to campaign but he doesn’t know how to preside. He doesn’t like to make decisions. He would rather be out there campaigning all day than doing the actual work.

I am asking for us to get behind Mitt Romney.

Get unified behind Mitt Romney

We have got to be unified. We have got to overcome all our little differences, bickering and ideologies. We have got to quit demanding perfection and get behind somebody and I am suggesting we support Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney has excellent executive experience, business experience, his ability to turn around companies, and what Mitt Romney did for the Salt Lake City Olympics is a model for us to follow. Just look at what he did there! He saved the Olympics! The Olympics were a mess but we as a Country are in a far worse mess than the Olympics ever were. We are Bankrupt and Broke and there is only one person I know who can solve this problem: Mitt Romney.

I am putting my support behind Mitt Romney and I am asking you to do the same thing.

Lets put behind our differences and get behind one candidate! A third party will never work. Never! And a vote for anyone in a third party will end up being a vote for Barack Obama! Ron Paul are you listening? If you do that you will cause Obama to be reelected. Put aside your ego for the good of the country!

Anyway, thanks for watching and reading this. I am putting aside my differences and am doing this for the good of the country. Will you? Please put aside your differences and get behind Mitt Romney.

When someone gets sick it’s important to know whether they have a fever or not. A fever lets you know that there’s some kind of infection going on somewhere in the body and that it requires special attention. A thermometer is used to determine the degree of the fever and how far off it is from the normal 98.6° of the human body. Higher ranges above 103° are considered extremely serious.

Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature goes lower than 95° and usually occurs when it has been exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time without proper insulation or clothing.

But in both cases whether it is too far above or below the normal range, it can result in death.

Thermometers are used to measure all sorts of things: making sure meat is cooked at the proper temperature, determining the temperature of the sun, revealing weather readings, to prevent icing on airplane wings, electrical power facilities, and a whole list of other things.

All these are used to gauge a range of effects based upon certain standards thereby predicting various outcomes.

But is there such a thing as a spiritual thermometer?

Is there some way we could gauge whether our spirit was in proper alignment with Heavenly Fathers? Is there some method that could be used to determine our eventual outcomes and make changes accordingly?

I propose that there is such a thing as a Spiritual Thermometer and it is something most would never consider: the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon was given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to his prophet Mormon as he was inspired to cherry pick a variety of stories and examples from 1000 years of history of His people. Of all the things that could’ve happened during that previous thousand years, we have relatively few that compile the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon: A Spiritual Thermometer

In our day of extremely advanced technological wonderment we are bombarded with hundreds or even thousands of stories per day as to what goes on in the world. Yet the Lord chose the most important ones of all that happened over 1000 years of time and recorded them in the Book of Mormon for our day and I believe that it is possible that all those with which we are bombarded with everyday, fit into the ones revealed in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is the Perfect Spiritual Thermometer.

I have found that when my heart is right; when the desire is there to learn what Heavenly Father would have me do; when I really want to know something of importance or value; when I have a great and important decision staring me in the face; when I am more or less in line with being as righteous as I should be and not under heavy sin; when I’m doing my duty and serving in my calling in the church; then I find great inspiration from reading the Book of Mormon and direction as to what I need to do or change.

I have also found that when I have done something wrong, if I open its pages I can receive promptings of what to do to get back on track.

Just as a Spiritual Thermometer, The Book of Mormon tells me when I am on target or off. 

I have had wonderful experiences by reading this great book. Sometimes I felt as if they were angels standing nearby wanting me to get the message. Sometimes it seems like words were jumping off the page when light was emanating from the book. Sometimes it seemed as if the Lord was speaking directly to me and I could hear his voice as a whisper into my mind. Sometimes it’s almost as if I can see the future and know how to prepare for it and also receive warnings regarding dangers ahead.

Sadly, I can’t say that that happens all the time or even very often, in fact sometimes I drift off or fall asleep and feel like Mark Twain when he called the Book of Mormon, “chloroform in print” (thus a possible insight into his spirituality). Sometimes when I’m reading my mind is wandering elsewhere and thinking about something else. Sometimes it’s as if I don’t even know what I just read for the past five minutes and it seems uninteresting or even boring.

What I’ve come to realize is that my reaction to the Book of Mormon and the inspiration I receive from reading it is a perfect spiritual thermometer to gauge my spirituality. Once I understand that this book was written specifically for me and the Lord has gone to great efforts to deliver something akin to my own Liahona, then I can use it to measure my own heart. I will know whether or not I am in tune with him that day. I will know if there’s something that I need to work on or some danger is lurking within my spirit, whether I’m more concerned with the things of the world than I am with the things of God, whether the sin of pride has overtaken me or I am submitting my will to His, whether I am building a mansion in Babylon or a permanent residence in Zion. I will know what I am on the path or not and if I humble myself and bring myself into subjection to the spirit, I can be moving in the right direction again.

I believe that the Book of Mormon is the most perfect spiritual thermometer on the face of the earth and heeding to an abiding by its teachings will help keep anyone who reads it with real intent, and having faith in Christ, on the straight and narrow path.