jal

Be the person you would want your daughter to marry (in all things). Ask the Lord for this blessing. Remember, it might be that as a part of your life's mission and your own growth, this is what you are suppose to do. You are NOT old by any means.. so follow the Spirit, get out more, travel and your spouse is waiting for you.

What that means to me, to "(begin) as in times of old", maybe more in reference to our individual lives, where when we are all young, we are both humble and earnest. I suspect also from Moroni's perspective, our society is arrogant, and not dependent on the Lord. To "begin", as in times of old maybe mean to return to our youth and also to the cultures of the past to start anew, come to the Lord in the humility of a child when it was culturally acceptable to do so.

Your mother is upset not because your grandmother was baptized by proxy, but because she feels like "mormons" are closing in around her. This issue is between your mother and herself. If she brings it up to you, you weren't involved, and tell her now she's got a backup plan. If she says that she won't need an LDS backup plan (she will), tell her that you were saying if the LDS church doesn't have authority, the Baptists is her backup plan, then smile and love your mother. She is on her own journey, as we all are. Also goto the Lord and ask him to find out what your grandmother thinks about this. Its likely you will receive an answer. This is for you, not for your mother.

There are councils in heaven as you said, and everything you said is true. Father has the entire planned mapped out, the changing part isn't that the plan is changing, its what changes is our individual agency, and our freedom to choose. God does know the outcome, but he enlists his children to participate in the process in making adjustments (not in the over all plan, but in the lives of individuals), because we are also learning and evolving. More experienced (learned) souls serve on higher councils, while newly departed spirits and others participate on "lower" ones, all learning while having a seat with God at some level because they get to share in the governance of all things. In other words if you choose to detour from your lives mission, somebody else will fill that role. Father knows this in advance, but allows councils to help determine with him and his Spirit how this happens, for his Children's growth and progression.

You didn't do anything wrong. Temple clothing or garments is just clothing, there isn't anything here that you should be worried or concerned about, ask your parents about it. There are no secrets. Symbols on temple clothing or even garments do carry special meaning for those who wear it, just like any clothing in most religions.

Here is the part you may be missing: Free will is a law of heaven and earth, and God cannot break it. God worked within this law of agency, to allow us to "kick start" our own environment, because he cannot choose for Adam and Eve to do this, because it required their agency to create it, so they could learn from it. Also, commandments are not setup as punishment traps, where if we disobey we get "punished" for breaking laws. Man has on their own, using this same agency (especially in "religous" settings throughout history - and the LDS church is not culturally immune), treated breaking of Gods laws in a punative fashion, however this behavior misses the point and purpose behind all commandments. Commandments provide a path to follow for the attainment of higher levels of spiritual growth, which come from Repentance and refining ourselves. Repentance is changing our heart (and the behavior that follows) and moving "up" and perfecting our person through the experiences of life and our agency as we choose to learn through our own experiences and the experiences of others. In many ways, Eve and Adam's choice to become imperfect, was a method that started the environment for this to take place. The "thou shalt not" aspect of it is God saying "here is a law", which if you break it will come consequences tied to that law that cannot be removed... but "thou mayest" choose to obey it or not with this agency to choose all things. The event in the garden of Eden was simply Eve's violation of a law to consume a food that likely trigger a biological effect on her spiritually perfect body, that resulted in her and Adam to become subject to all things temporal., including aging, disease etc. I'm not sure how that works, but its the natural consequence is a result of a law put in place here in this story of "that shalt not eat". I suppose one might suggest why did God even place a "Tree" of knowledge of good and evil there who's natural consequence was the initiation of this process. I don't know the answer to that, however, it feels right to me that God created not only that Tree, but the entire plane of existence as a class room for us to learn, with consequence laden rules and natural commandments that would be the guiding aspects of the human species learning experience.

Scriptural references to light are perfect, because of the powerful symbols this usage creates with remarkable accuracy (e.g. sun at the center of the universe, warmth and energy, light provides all life, reveals truth, moves away darkness etc.). However, spiritual light is a real thing also, and with the proper tools, you could measure it. Spiritually we feel it, we also can see it (with spiritual eyes and spiritual gift abilities).

I think we formalize too much the purpose of eternal "sealings", some details of which will be "ironed out" in the next life. The purpose of it is remarkably simple, but widely less understood. It is simply a way for mankind to participate with Christ in the atonement by providing a spiritual link to amply the saving aspect of the atonement to link all of Father's children together. Think of it as "well if I'm going they're coming with me".... and Im not talking about getting to "heaven", rather the sealing ordinances literally empower that individual with special ability to learn and tap into the power of the atonement in a way that brings a return to the entire family back to the presence of the Father, spiritually AND physically. How this happens is more complex, but the details of certainly cases Im sure will get ironed out.. if its important at all.

Your Bishop is a "human" too, and the atonement heals all wounds even his imperfections in how he has interacted with you. Remember he's a vehicle to take you TO the Lord, but not the only one, and won't stand in your way. But no, you don't owe him a business link on LInkedIn.

The purpose of life isn't to have you excel and perform at something you're already good at, its to have you STRETCH and become better. Because we're not all gifted "it", we have to work harder to "get it", and there in is the perfect nature of life... that you must work to achieve. Its not easy, otherwise it won't be worth it.

Your Mom is trying to protect you from getting hurt. She's doing so in her ignorance (meaning her lack of information). If you are a minor, you may have to go with her wishes, but you can do a LOT online from valid sources like LDS.org the Mormon Channel etc. Some converts struggle for years to get family to accept their personal choices, which is no different than any change anybody makes, to join or leave the church, to attend one college or even get one job over another. So any resistance is to be expected by those who love you regardless of the truth of it all or not. My suggestion (if I knew you) would be to show the greatest love and kindness in a Christlike manner, and do your best. Bring missionaries to teach you in your home, pray often, and show your Mother that being Mormon brings you closer to Christ, your family, and also makes you a better person. She will, as time goes on, give you more latitude, as she feels the Spirit work in her life, to help her sort out the false information from the truth. ALL light you bring into your home, brings this spirit of truth and light, and you my friend, get to be a partner with Christ in this effort in your own home. Welcome to life.

This book was one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It goes hand in hand with everything I've ever known. There are a couple parts that are a bit "out there", but the more I think about it, the more even these make perfect sense. The visions experienced were for "Spencer", and he alone. The FAIR review was not objective, and poorly crafted.

Its a very in deep read, you cannot read it fast, and its very rewarding.

I'm looking for a book recommendation (preferably written from an LDS perspective) on spiritual gifts which the secular world ignorantly calls psychic abilities, that explains and contrasts the differences and similarities between these two areas of spiritual understandings. Here's my take: I think God has given many people spiritual gifts, but they don't always understand how to use them, or that they are given to us for our collective improvement as it pertains to our individual life's mission's and the gospel plan. The veil can be thin for many people, and with each of these diverse set of "abilities", the world often gets confused, or in some cases deceived (as we know can happen). Rather than taking a dogmatic approach that only spiritual gifts are found "in the gospel umbrella" (which I don't think is the case), and that the only place to learn about such things are in the scriptures..Id like to think an LDS author has discussed this subject in a properly authored book. I'm not looking to start a debate on this thread, rather, what sort of book(s) you might recommend on this subject. (The BofM and NT are already books in my possession ).