MrNirom

Not always.. no. I guess it depends on what she suggests.

Put your treasures in Heaven.. for where you heart is.. so is your money. :-) I have always done what your wife suggests. I would much rather overpay than rob God in the least. If I didn't have a job, I would have nothing to tithe. And because I am in that situation right now.. I know what I am talking about.

I read a book sometime ago about a young man who died in a plane crash and was brought back to life. He had a NDE experience. He made a wonderful trip. I prepared a 20 minutes talk after reading the Book and did the same as Mormon did.. I abridged the book I read. Here is a part where he talks about sin in Heaven: The flowers in heaven fascinated me. Again, a delightful and delicate balance between diversity and unity. Each was unique. All were one. And they were beautiful to behold. Each petal and leaf illuminated with that glorious light and added just the right splashes of color to the velvety expanse of green grass. As I described previously, the grass, the sky, the walls, the houses, everything was more beautiful than I ever dreamed anything could be. Even the colors. They were richer, deeper, more luminescent than any colors I have ever seen in the farthest reaches of earth or in the most fantastic of dreams. They were so vibrant they pulsated with life. Each and every color, no matter how varied, took its color from the glistening whiteness that permeated heaven. Part of the joy I was experiencing was not only the presence of everything wonderful but the absence of everything terrible. There was no strife, no competition, no sarcasm, no betrayal, no deception, no lies, no murders, no unfaithfulness, no disloyalty, nothing contrary to the light and life and love. In short, there was no sin. And the absence of sin was something you could feel. There was no shame, because there was nothing to be ashamed of. There was no sadness, because there was nothing to be sad about. There was no need to hide, because there was nothing to hide from. It was all out in the open. Clean and pure. Here was perfection. Complete and utter perfection. The revelation of sin's absence was astounding and exhilarating. A perfect place where there is no sin. I had been in heaven for some time before I recognized sin's absence. Now I contemplated the one thing that dominated everything on earth that infected everything on earth, but was missing here. It can be compared to oxygen. I went through life not really thinking about the air I was breathing while I worked, slept, ate, and drove. But take that air away and I would think about nothing else. Similarly, I was so accustomed to sin that I hadn't even recognized its far-reaching effects in every part of life. But nothing had been tainted in heaven by sin's destructive touch. This perfection experienced was largely due to the absence of sin.

Let me ask.. are the two of you sealed?

Common sense dictates. If a company pays you $50,000 for doing your job.. did you not just make $50,000? What Governments decided to take from you (tax) is up to them.. You still made $50,000. The Lord requires 10%. If you own a company.. and your company made a million dollars... but you paid yourself $50,000... then your income is $50,000. That is the amount of money that you gave yourself. Now the Governments might tax you on a different amount. If next year.. your company only makes $50,000... but you took $100,000 because of the surplus from the previous year.. then you made $100,000 regardless of what the Governments might tax you. If you got paid $50,000.. and the Governments then taxed you $20,000.. and then later on.. gave you $10,000 back.. you would not pay tithing on the $10,000 given back to you. You paid your tithing on the $50,000 you made. Whatever the governments DECIDE to charge you or rebate you... has nothing to do with tithing. Now.. if the Governments tax you nothing.. but give you a $10,000 rebate.. then your increase is $10,000. If you plant a row of corn.. and you grow 100 ears of corn.. you give 10 to the Lord. Hopefully you save a couple ears to be used for seeds the next year. Everything on and in this earth belongs to God. You take nothing with you when you die. So if you had nothing.. and you get something.. you have more than what you had... that is increase. If you had no bicycle.. and now you do because someone gave it to you.. your increase is one bicycle. If you refuse the bicycle.. then you have no increase. If you borrow a dollar from a friend.. and then give it back to them... you had NO increase. If you borrow $320,000 for a home.. and you pay back the $320,000.. you have no increase. If you buy a house for $320,000.. and then turn around and sell it for $400,000... you have an increase of $80,000. If you buy a home for $320,000... spend $70,000 on remodeling... and then sell it for $400,000... you have an increase of $10,000. Pay tithing on what was paid to you. And God forbid if you should give him more. Tithing is and always will be between you and the Lord. He knows your heart. If you are using your head to figure out how to pay him less.. there is your heart. Before becoming a member of the Church.. I gave 10% of my money to whomever... it did not matter.. just as long as I did not keep it. That was the Lord's money and I was not going to spend it in any way that benefited me or my family.

Simon, To make that kind of a jump would be foolish. Everything the Lord does is little by little... line upon line.. precept upon precept. Before one can determine the "Church is true".. it is not a determination that you make by yourself.. but are told by God that it is true.. and it is based on solid testimony and logic. The Lord will not tell you "the Church is TRUE" without you doing some work to find out yourself. When Christ asked the Apostles "Who do they say I am?" You have to wonder why he asked that question... for were not the Apostles with him always? He should have known what people said about him.. but he asked them... and pray tell.. what was their answer? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Interesting. John the Baptist is dead. Jeremais is dead. Elias is dead. Why would these people think he is a dead prophet? But does he question them? NO.. He asks them another question. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Now he is asking them... who do they think he is. Has Jesus up to this point ever said who he was? Did he preach outright.. who he was? NO.. but listen to the answer. 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now see what Christ has to say to Simon Peter. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. So.. it was not by the mouth of any man that Simon knew Jesus was the Christ. It was by the power of God.. it was by "revelation" that it was given to him to know this. Jesus did not teach it to him and then he believed. Another man did not convince him of it. But he received the teaching from God... by personal revelation. And then.. what does Christ say about this personal revelation that Peter received? 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So.. upon revelation.. the rock of the church.. is what the church will built upon. For if one has revelation.. then the gates of hell could not prevail against it. God gives us "signs" not to prove something to us.. but to guide the way. To say to yourself.. "Well if the missionaires don't make a left turn.. then the church is true." is not sound thinking. That is not the way the Lord works. If anything.. having the missionaries not turn.. has given you cause to think.. to continue questioning and searching... and that is the way the Lord works. The point of my story.. was expectation. What do you expect? The man expected that GOD himself should rescue him.. not another man. Not even another man that could fly. But he expected God to do it. That is not the way God operates. God's ways are not man's ways. I have been unemployed for some time now, and I have been praying for job. Yesterday.. I get two calls from employers. One was because of a resume I put out there.. another was just a call out of the blue from one person who knew someone who was looking for someone and that person told them about me.. and then they called. So which one was from God? At this point.. all I can say is that God provided me with 2 different opportunities.. and that is what I am "Thankful" for. God provides "opportunity". An opportunity to grow and learn on your own. And he is doing that with you now. To grow and learn.. one must search and study. One must question. One must pray. One must contemplate.. but one must also listen. For it is one thing to ask God a question.. it is another thing to wait for an answer... and listen to what is being told to you. If you build your testimony of truth on a foundation of rock or upon received revelation.. when the winds of Satan blow.. you will not be blown away and find yourself wondering what to do. Take your time. Ask questions. But this I must warn you about. There is a correct way of learning. "The teaching of all doctrine", says the Apostle Peter in the Recognitions, "has a certain order, and there are some things which must be delivered first, others in the second place, and others in the third, and so all in their order; and if these things be delivered in their order, they become plain; but if they be brought forward out of order, they will seem to be spoken against reason." That is why he rebuked the youthful Clement for wanting to know everything ahead of time. Move forward Simon.. a day at a time... a question at a time. I pray you find what you are looking for.

You know.. I remember this story.. A man was trapped on his roof in the middle of a storm as the flood waters rose higher and higher around him. He prayed to God that he would help him. He prayed to God that he would save him. A few minutes later.. a man in a boat rowed up to him and said.. "Hey.. do you need some help?" "No" shouted the man.. "I am waiting for help from God". As the water continued to get higher and higher.. now beginning to cover and creep up the roof.. the man prayed more earnestly. "Please God.. help me.. I don't want to die. Please save me". A few minutes later a helicopter flew by.. and hovered above his roof top. The pilot over a loud speaker called out.. "Do you need any help?" "NO" shouted the man again.. "I am waiting for God to help me". When the water finally rose above the roof top.. and washed the man into the swift and ragging water.. he drowned. When he saw God... he said to him.. "I don't understand.. I prayed to you and prayed to you to help from the roof top.. but you refused... and left me to drown." The Lord said.. "Who do you think impressed upon the man in the boat to row in your direction? After you refused his help... Who do you think caused the pilot to find you in the raging storm.. and offer you help?" "I can only do so much" the Lord said. "I could not force you to get in the boat.. nor could I force you to enter the helicopter. That is why I said.. I can only help those who are willing to help themselves."

To me it is a symbol of the first clothes that God gave to man after he discovered his nakedness. We not only wear clothes to hide our nakedness.. but to protect us from the elements. As some religions wear their "garments" on the outside of their clothes.. for others to see.. we wear ours under our clothes and next to our bodies. We symbolize these as special and sacred and part of a covenant that we personally make with God and are thankful he gave them to us to wear and protect us.... as clothing of various kinds protect the human in some way. Coats protect from the cold, hazmat suits protect from airborne contaminates, helmets protect the head, mittens protect the hands, shoes protect the feet. etc. The garments that we choose to wear can protect spiritually... as well as physically.

Joseph Smith seems to make sense when he said: "Jesus is one of a grand order of Saviors. Every world has its distinctive Savior and every dispensation its Christ." "For he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these." (Eccl 5:8)

I suppose a question that comes to mind is that if our Father was once a man like we are.. and he had a Father in Heaven.. who was once a man like we are.. and he had a Father in Heaven.. who was once a man like we are... ... ... ... ... Who has the MOST intelligence?

Divisions in the Spirit World The prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon taught about two divisions or states in the spirit world: Dr. Lynn Ridenhour, the founder of WinePress Ministries, has a Ph.D in literature with a specialty degree in composition theory from the University of Iowa, has taught creative writing in both Christian and secular universities. Dr. Ridenhour has also pastored Baptist churches for years, has taught at Jerry Falwell’s university, and has been involved in the charismatic renewal since 1972. Here is what he wrote about the Spirit World.

Even missionaries are not perfect. If one did lie... that does not in anyway mean that all lie and that the Church did anything wrong. If it did happen.. the missionary in question has the right to defend himself and tell his side of the story.

Is that name not used by those who take on the Savior roll? Was not our Father in Heaven called the same? John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth• the Father• do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Peter in the Recognitions said: That is why he rebuked the youthful Clement for wanting “to know everything ahead of time.” Clement of Alexandria said: [Nibley, Since Cumorah, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 7, pp. 96-97]When Joseph Smith received revelation about the Church in these latter days.. he was NOT given a DATA DUMP into his brain so that he knew everything. Even Joseph was taught LINE UPON LINE... PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT... that took him years to gain. You don't need to know EVERYTHING to join the Church.

I read on a web site once: Jesus preached the kingdom of God and invited all believers to come to it. Exactly what would be the nature of the inhabitants of the kingdom of God? The vegetable kingdom is composed of vegetables. The animal kingdom is composed of animals and the human kingdom is composed of humans. Therefore what kind of residents abide in the Kingdom of God? Yes. They can only be Gods. When Jesus invited us to the kingdom of God he called us to leave the illusionary human kingdom and assume our true nature as Gods in the God kingdom. In other words, we are to be as he is. A glorious thought is it not? JJ