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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Clearing Up Misconceptions...LDS Is Not The Same As FLDS.

Reading this article, I feel it is important to pass this information on. So, here it is. For more information, please go to this link ... Click Here

Clearing up misconceptions
LDS P.R. push: We're not the same as FLDS
...A survey found a third of Americans thought a polygamous compound belonged to Mormons...
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 06/27/2008 04:25:46 PM MDT
Salt Lake Tribune.Com


Mormon leaders said Thursday they are stepping up efforts to make the public aware of the differences between the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), which has recently garnered widespread national attention.

The Mormon effort is in response to a church-commissioned survey of 1,000 Americans who found a degree of confusion about the two churches. More than a third of those surveyed thought the Texas FLDS compound, which Texas' Child Protection Services raided after allegations of child sexual abuse, was part of the LDS Church. Another 6% said the two groups were partly related.

FLDS members trace their history and beliefs to Mormonism, which endorsed polygamy until 1890, when it officially discontinued the practice. Since then, the LDS Church has disavowed plural marriage and excommunicates anyone involved in or advocating it.

To end the confusion, Mormon leaders this week made a written appeal to news media to underscore those distinctions. And Thursday, the church posted a series of video interviews on its Web site to illustrate the differences between their members and the FLDS.

The Texas Mormons featured on the video interviews include a director of community theater, an orthopedic surgeon, a justice of the peace, a news anchor, a young woman with aspirations for medical school, and former Brigham Young University and Houston Oilers quarterback Giff Nielsen.

"We'd much rather be talking about who we are than who we aren't", LDS Apostle Quentin L. Cook said in a news release. "These members and thousands like them are part of the fabric of Texas and contribute to the warmth and southern hospitality of their communities."


To view the videos, visit www.newsroom.lds.org

Friday, June 27, 2008

Lyme Disease Information Resources

The following is a list of links to provide you with pertinent information regarding Lyme disease, its symptoms, prevention, treatment, and more. As with most complicated diseases, no one treatment is perfect for everyone. Therefore, the more resources available to the public, those struggling with Lyme disease will have more options and opinions with regards to treatment.

Remember...It is NOT all in your head!

HealingWell.Com
CDC
Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc.
LymeNet
State of Maine
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Lyme Disease Association
Lyme Disease Resource.Com
The Lyme Guide
Lyme Info.Net
Lyme Disease Research Database
Confronting Lyme.Com
Wikipedia.Org
Chronic Lyme Disease.Com
Truth About Lyme Disease.Com

There are so many resources. Just reach inside these that I have provided. Read the information. Discuss it with your physician. It is never to late to become well again...become well.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sabbath Day, Primary Talks, June 22, 2008


My son had to give a talk in Primary this week. So, trying to be efficient, I typed into the Google Search Engine the words, "LDS Primary, Talks". By doing this, I came upon a gold mine of a resource for those of you who have Primary children. This site, listed at the end of this talk as my source, has talks (for free) that have been put together for each month's Primary topic and list additional resources for visual aids, etc. on the topic of each talk. It is amazing! Here is the talk that my 11 year old gave today.

June 2008, Talk #1

"I will live now to be worthy to go to the temple and do my part to have an eternal family.

Before we were born on this earth, we all lived together as brothers and sisters in the spirit world. We were part of a heavenly family with loving heavenly parents.

Adam and Eve were the first parents on earth. Heavenly Father told Adam and Eve to have children. They had the first family on this earth.

Heavenly Father loved Adam and Eve and their children. He told Adam and Eve to teach the gospel to their children.

In our day, Heavenly Father has sent each of us to a family, just like he did with Adam and Eve's children.

Heavenly father loves all children and has told all parents to teach their children the gospel. When we die and leave this earth, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to live again as families in heaven. They have shown us the way for this to happen.

An important part of being together as a family forever takes place in the temple. Inside temples we make special promises to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Father makes special promises to us.
In the temple, a husband and wife can have an ordinance performed that helps them be together forever. This is called a sealing or a temple marriage. If a couple is married outside the temple for this life only, they can go to the temple and be sealed so that they can remain married for eternity. Their children can be sealed to them and are then a part of their family forever. This special blessing is given only to those who are sealed in the temple and keep the promises they make there.

In order to receive the blessings of the temple we must be worthy. To be worthy means that we are living our lives the way Heavenly Father wants us to.

As primary children, we can prepare to go to the temple by following the commandments of God and the advice of our living prophet. We should do things such as keep the sabbath day holy, treat others with love and kindness, be honest, treat our body with respect by following the Word of Wisdom, pay our tithing, obey our parents and serve others.

I am thankful that Heavenly Father has sent me to a loving family. I am happy to know that Heavenly Father has provided a way for us to become an eternal family. I know that if we will follow Heavenly Fathers plan and do what he has asked us to do, we will be happy."


Source:
http://primarytalks.googlepages.com/

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

"Am I A Fireman Yet??"


This is a story that was forwarded to me by a member of my city fire department. The author is unknown.


Am I A Fireman Yet??

In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.

Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination.

Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams.

Now, that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true.

She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"

Mommy, "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."

Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix.

She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day."

"He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!"

"And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat...not a toy...one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots."

"They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.

He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls.

He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedics' van, and even the fire chief's car.

He was also video taped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes.
Will you please do me a favor?...When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system, That there is not a fire?
It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"

About five minutes later a hook-and-ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third-floor open window...16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room.

With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.

With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

"Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day."

He closed his eyes one last time.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Father's Day 2008. Sabbath Day, June 15, 2008.

"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." -- English Proverb

What have you learned from your father?

...How to tie your shoes
...How to say a prayer
...How to mow your lawn
...Good work ethic
...How to play football
...more, more, more lessons than can be listed

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." -- Sigmund Freud

When were you protected by your Dad?

...When you learned to walk, he steadied your way
...When you played in the kitchen, he kept you away from the hot oven
...When you learned to drive, he taught you all of the rules and helped you obey them
...When you went on your first date, did he make sure that the boy was a gentleman
...When you went to college, he made sure you had money

"It is a wise father that knows his own child." -- William Shakespeare

How well do you know your own father?

...Do you talk with your Dad?
...Do you make a lunch or dinner date with your Dad?
...Do you know your father's favorite color?
...Do you know your father's favorite thing about you?
...Do you know your father's biggest worry?

"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." -- Anne Sexton

...How fond are your memories of your father?
...What do you remember most of your father?
...What is your favorite thing that your father has done for you?
...What pictures do you have to remember your father by?
...Have you taken time to write these wonderful things about your father down on paper?

"Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young,
Who loved thee so fondly as he?
He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue,
And joined in thy innocent glee."
-- Margaret Courtney

...What kind actions do you take time to do for your father?
...What kind words of praise or adoration do you give to your father?
...Where are you when your father is celebrating his birthday?
...How well do you watch after your father after all he has done for you?

Remember that our ultimate Father is our Father in Heaven. In all we do and in all we say we must remember that we represent our Father in Heaven and show him our respect for him each and every day.

Source:
http://wilstar.com/holidays/fathers.htm#QUOTES

Sunday, June 8, 2008

"The Third Jesus". Sabbath Day, June 8, 2008



By Tania Fuentez
Associated Press

Published: Sunday, Apr. 13, 2008

NEW YORK — Before he became known for promoting holistic health and spirituality, Deepak Chopra adhered to traditional Western medicine as an endocrinologist in Boston. He eventually questioned this approach, returning to the centuries-old Indian system of Ayurveda to find a balance between faith and science.
"I wanted to extend my idea of healing," Chopra said in a recent interview. "If you don't understand spiritual experience, you'll never understand healing."
Now, at 61, the physician and best-selling author hopes to extend conventional thought again — even more controversially — in "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore" (Harmony Books). Chopra challenges Christian doctrine while presenting an alternative: Jesus as a state of mind, rather than the historical rabbi of Nazareth or son of God.

The third perspective — which Chopra calls "a cosmic Christ" — looks at Jesus as a spiritual guide whose teaching embraces all humanity, not just the church built in his name. Chopra argues that Christ speaks to the individual who wants to find God as a personal experience.

"I said to myself, 'Why not write a book that takes Jesus' teachings — and it doesn't matter if you're Christian or not — and learn from this and improve your life,"' he told The Associated Press at the Chopra Center and Spa in midtown Manhattan.

Considered a pioneer of mind-body alternative medicine, Chopra is president of the Alliance for a New Humanity, and he has been listed among Time magazine's top 100 heroes and icons of the 20th century. His books have been translated into dozens of languages, with topics that range from aging and sexuality to golf and Buddha's path to enlightenment. In 1995, he co-founded the Chopra Center for Wellbeing with Dr. David Simon, which officially opened the following year.

Fascination with Jesus' life began during his lessons while attending a Roman Catholic school in India, Chopra said. Though his parents were from Hindu and Sikh families, "if you were relatively affluent, education was always in the Christian school because of the missionaries."

He moved to the United States in 1970 after graduating from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Chopra did his internship in New Jersey, and residency and fellowship at various institutions, including Boston, Tufts and Harvard universities. He also was chief of staff at Boston Regional Medical Center for two years.

His interest in Hinduism and medicine evolved while observing a mind-body connection in his research, and a chance encounter in 1985 with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at a conference in Washington, D.C.

"I first leaned toward Ayurveda medicine and then actually went on to study other wisdom traditions of the world ... this happened during my training in neuro endocrinology where I saw what happened in consciousness in biology," Chopra explained.

"I was just extending my understanding of healing from physical to mental to social to environmental," he said. "That's what the 'Alliance' is all about ... healing the body politic, healing the world."

Chopra devotes substantial time to his own spiritual development. He meditates and exercises daily, though he occasionally enjoys a triple hazelnut latte.

During the interview, Chopra switches his Blackberry, covered in an orange case, to vibrate as he speaks on faith, politics and a list of projects like a new comic book launched with his son and Sir Richard Branson. The in-demand speaker is at ease quoting Scripture or talking quantum physics. He has studied the Bible closely, reading it hundreds of times.

Though "The Third Jesus" was on his mind for 25 years, it took him six months to complete once he began writing. The next book will be a fictional account of Jesus' missing years.

"Where else do you read a story of the Son of God being executed by their own?" he said. "It is dramatic. It's three years of his teaching, and it has shaped the world for 2,000 years."

In a review, Harvey Cox, Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard, said "The Third Christ" is "bound to provoke both admiration and condemnation." Chopra references the New Testament and Gnostic Gospels to deconstruct church doctrine and conservative Christianity on issues such as war, abortion, women's rights and homophobia.

"I see blogs every day that are negative and very nasty because this is not a literalist interpretation of Jesus," Chopra said. "My book is about Jesus as a state of consciousness. If I can aspire — maybe not achieve — but aspire to be in that state of mind and if a lot of people were aspiring to be in that state of mind this would be a better world.

"I emphasize this over and over again that whatever we do is about improving ourselves and improving the world."


Source:
www.mormontimes.com

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Chronic Fatigue and Lyme Disease

Interestingly, in my research regarding Lyme disease, I have made a discovery. This discovery may not be much to someone who is not fighting the battle of the disease. This discovery may not mean much to someone who is not fighting the battle to gain awareness for testing. However, with both of those battles in my lap, I feel the following linked article to be a great discovery.

www.chronicfatiguesupport.com

As you read the article, you begin to realize that someone is acknowledging factors that others are not willing to acknowledge.

First, this comes from Chronic Fatigue Support.com. They are acknowledging that Chronic Fatigue may actually be Lyme disease.

Second is a statement that I have gathered from many locations and sources into one and this link seems to sum it up rather profoundly.

"The incidence of asymptomatic infection has not been adequately delineated. There appear to be substantial numbers of patients who remain asymptomatic, but reactivate their disease a number of months or years later, following trauma, pregnancy, a medical illness for which an antibiotic is prescribed, or other stresses, including psychological stresses. The Lyme OspA vaccine has appeared to reactivate Lyme disease in a number of individuals who knew, but some who did not know, they had prior Lyme disease. The mechanisms responsible for the reactivation of the disease have not been defined, but may include both molecular mimicry and underlying infection."


Third, that many in the medical field don't recognize that there is Chronic Lyme disease or Late-Lyme disease. In this article, they are refuting those claims.

"That chronic Lyme Disease actually exists, and is likely the most common form of the disease, is supported by epidemiologic studies demonstrating that 30-50-% of treated and untreated patients go on to develop a multisymptom disorder typical of, and indistinguishable from, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (1, 28). As with other multisymptom disorders, chronic Lyme disease is a clinical syndrome consisting of fatigue, arthralgias and myalgias,and other nervous system dysfunction(7).

Furthermore, the results of treatment studies appear to support the hypothesis that persistent infection is responsible for the chronic symptoms. It is likely that Lyme disease will serve as a useful model for other chronic multisymptom disorders. Whether the pathogenesis of "late" Lyme Disease differs from that of the chronic form of the disease remains to be established."


This last point is one that arguably could save the U.S. economy millions of dollars in healthcare costs, as well as saving lives and relieving stress of the individuals and families involved.

Sources:
Chronic Fatigue Support.com

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Sabbath Day, June 1, 2008

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg.

One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"Oklahoma", they answered.

"Great to have you here in Tennessee", the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?"

"I teach at a seminary", he replied.

"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you."

And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the
couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great. Just what I need ..another preacher story!'

The man started, "See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother."

"He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'"

"He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad."

"When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd."

"Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?'"

"The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?'"

"This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy.. 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.'"

"With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great
inheritance. Go and claim it.' "

"The boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God.'"

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story?"

The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me
that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!" And he walked away.

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, "Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left that was sitting at our table?"

The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee."

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's children!

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever."
~~Isaiah

YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Source:
One of the wonderful stories that report no author that I receive in my email each week.