"... when we got to the City, Adaline's eyes were very bad. I tried one or two Doctors again but to no effect. Of course I had called in the Elders, but did not seeme to do much, so one day I met Elder Pratt, and asked him what more I could do. He thought for a moment, and then said for me to give him her name in full and he would take it to the Prayer Circle where the Twelve Apostles and Presidency met, and for me to take her to Uncle John Smith the Patriarch, Joseph's uncle, and have him Administer to her, as he lived on the same Block. I took her and told him what I wanted. He told his wife to annoint her eyes, which she did, and then he laid his hands on her head, and Prayed for, and Blessed her, and when we started home, I was leading her by the hand, and she looked up in my face, and said, "Father my eyes are nearly well. And I now Bear my testamony that her eyes were well in a few days, and we did not have to keep her in a dark room any more. Soon after this on her Birthday Dec. 20th, 1852, I cut a hole in the ice in City Creek, when it was 8 or 10 inches thick, and baptized her."
Voices Of Women, Rhea Kunz, pg. 17
(Journal of William Moore Allred, pp.15-16)
It is interesting to note that the Patriarch's wife was an active participant in the priesthood ordinance. This of course is no surprise to those who understand the Patriarchal Priesthood that is conferred at the Second Annointing.
This post is part of a series of posts on Women in the Priesthood.
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Saturday, 22 November 2014
Women And The Priesthood
I have been putting this topic off for a long time to the point where it is weighing on me not only spiritually, but physically as well. It is a topic that is very dear to my heart, but unfortunately it is a topic that gets the wicked very riled. Instead of jumping right in, I have decided to first share a few stories from others who have had experience in this area, then, God willing, I will share some of my very own experiences. I will tag each post that has to do with Priestess’ and women in the priesthood, so that they will be easier to find and cross-reference. Although there may be many sources, several of these stories I will reference from the book, Voices Of Women, volumes one and two, by Rhea Kunz.
It is my hope that the true order of the Priesthood will be revealed to those who are willing to receive it. The Priesthood is not the authority to rule over anyone, including ruling over women and children. It is a wicked society that even suggests or permits such a horrible crime. The Priesthood of God is to be a servant, an employee. It is not to rule, be the boss, the leader, or any such thing. Priesthood is not even the authority to lead in righteousness. Priesthood, if a person is accepted by God, means that person, who is accepted by God, is now on staff. The priesthood holder is an employee, and it is their job to do the work that they are instructed to do by God himself. Those who overstep their bounds, and say that God has commanded them to do it when He has not, are taking the Lord’s name in vain, and will be fired.
Hopefully, this series of posts will reveal a spirit of service and true priesthood.
This post is part of a series of posts on Women in the Priesthood.
.
It is my hope that the true order of the Priesthood will be revealed to those who are willing to receive it. The Priesthood is not the authority to rule over anyone, including ruling over women and children. It is a wicked society that even suggests or permits such a horrible crime. The Priesthood of God is to be a servant, an employee. It is not to rule, be the boss, the leader, or any such thing. Priesthood is not even the authority to lead in righteousness. Priesthood, if a person is accepted by God, means that person, who is accepted by God, is now on staff. The priesthood holder is an employee, and it is their job to do the work that they are instructed to do by God himself. Those who overstep their bounds, and say that God has commanded them to do it when He has not, are taking the Lord’s name in vain, and will be fired.
Hopefully, this series of posts will reveal a spirit of service and true priesthood.
This post is part of a series of posts on Women in the Priesthood.
.
Saturday, 15 November 2014
A Question About Faith
A question was posed about the subject of faith, and I was having a difficult time wording an answer. Because we each come from different backgrounds, and have different life experiences, and because questions are asked from those perspectives, accordingly there are various ways to express an answer. This was a large question, and there were various nuances in the email, so there may be parts of this answer that may seem elusive at first. Please keep in mind that this email was for a specific person and a specific set of circumstances, and I am posting it here (with permission, and slightly edited) in the hopes that it may provide a different perspective and perhaps be of eternal use to others as well.
My experiences with Faith:
I hope that I can give you some ideas that will be useful to you. And in that regard, I would rather not address what I think, but instead share with you what has actually worked with me.
Faith is the moving cause of action. Faith is not a belief. Faith is not a magical/mystical power. Faith is following a course of action that produces the desired result. In fact, faith is loyally following that course of action, without deviation. Not the least deviation!
What do you think of when you hear the phrases: a faithful dog; a faithful companion; a faithful spouse; faithfully sticking to his diet; etc? Those phrases describe faith. That is what faith is!
Faith is a gift from God, granted to those who are faithful.
As we pray for an increase in faith, the Lord will give us more instructions that we must follow faithfully. As we follow faithfully, we have faith. But it is still the heart that our Heavenly Father looks upon. Are we only following to have faith, or do we enjoy following? Do we enjoy being faithful even if there were never to be any reward? That is the heart of it.
Joseph Smith was fore-ordained to do what he did, and he did exercise great faith, and yes greater faith than most of us, although you have it in you to exercise the same faith as Joseph Smith did.
You are absolutely correct when you say; "Perhaps technically speaking faith is only manifest when we ask for that which is right, or in the mind of God, so on that account, Joseph Smith had faith, because it was in the mind of God to appear to him."
Faith must be based in a correct principle and must be according to the will of God for it to bear fruit, or it is not faith.
The Lord has His hand upon you and He will lead you through a specific course, designed specifically for you, to bring you before His face. He has already revealed that.
Comparing ourselves against others does not often work. I went through a programme designed specifically for me. I was faithful through some very horrendous sufferings that were very long lasting. Some of which are still ongoing. It is a very bitter cup.
We all have our agency, and as long as you haven't done any horrendous crimes, you are still capable of going before God in person in this lifetime. He has already revealed this to you when I was there. So take heart. You can continue to push forward in faith, you are not pressing forward in vain.
Some of the things you need to correct are your beliefs about God, and He is already leading you through experiences designed to correct those beliefs.
I hope this helps. Do not lose heart; you are on the right path. Keep seeking Christ. Keep seeking the face of God!
Yours in Christ,
Joseph
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My experiences with Faith:
I hope that I can give you some ideas that will be useful to you. And in that regard, I would rather not address what I think, but instead share with you what has actually worked with me.
Faith is the moving cause of action. Faith is not a belief. Faith is not a magical/mystical power. Faith is following a course of action that produces the desired result. In fact, faith is loyally following that course of action, without deviation. Not the least deviation!
What do you think of when you hear the phrases: a faithful dog; a faithful companion; a faithful spouse; faithfully sticking to his diet; etc? Those phrases describe faith. That is what faith is!
Faith is a gift from God, granted to those who are faithful.
As we pray for an increase in faith, the Lord will give us more instructions that we must follow faithfully. As we follow faithfully, we have faith. But it is still the heart that our Heavenly Father looks upon. Are we only following to have faith, or do we enjoy following? Do we enjoy being faithful even if there were never to be any reward? That is the heart of it.
Joseph Smith was fore-ordained to do what he did, and he did exercise great faith, and yes greater faith than most of us, although you have it in you to exercise the same faith as Joseph Smith did.
You are absolutely correct when you say; "Perhaps technically speaking faith is only manifest when we ask for that which is right, or in the mind of God, so on that account, Joseph Smith had faith, because it was in the mind of God to appear to him."
Faith must be based in a correct principle and must be according to the will of God for it to bear fruit, or it is not faith.
The Lord has His hand upon you and He will lead you through a specific course, designed specifically for you, to bring you before His face. He has already revealed that.
Comparing ourselves against others does not often work. I went through a programme designed specifically for me. I was faithful through some very horrendous sufferings that were very long lasting. Some of which are still ongoing. It is a very bitter cup.
We all have our agency, and as long as you haven't done any horrendous crimes, you are still capable of going before God in person in this lifetime. He has already revealed this to you when I was there. So take heart. You can continue to push forward in faith, you are not pressing forward in vain.
Some of the things you need to correct are your beliefs about God, and He is already leading you through experiences designed to correct those beliefs.
I hope this helps. Do not lose heart; you are on the right path. Keep seeking Christ. Keep seeking the face of God!
Yours in Christ,
Joseph
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Monday, 10 November 2014
The Servants Of God Must Unite For Zion To Come
When will Zion come??
This always seems to be a popular topic. And everyone has their own speculation. Some of the 'servants' of God are shown little bits and pieces of the answer to this, then they, rather unfortunately, speculate the rest. There is no need to speculate. The Lord already answered this question and it has been clearly recorded in holy writ.
This post is directed toward the servants of God.
.Contrary to popular belief, Zion will not come when enough people are converted to the church or to any specific group. It will not come when the One Mighty and Strong comes to set the churches in order. Zion will only come when the ‘servants’ of God see eye to eye, and start getting along. The ‘servants’ of God are the ones who need to be united.
[Unfortunately, there is exceedingly great pride among the ‘servants’ of God, and many of them seem to think that since God communes with them in some way, or has communed with them in some way, that this makes them special. And now because they think they are special, they think that they have some kind of rights or authority that others do not have. Some of these ‘servants’ even start churches, often setting themselves up (or others setting them up) for a light. All too often there is the belief that when enough people join this new church, the second coming will occur. This of course is false!]
This does not mean that everyone should shun the churches/groups, nor that everyone needs to gather to the various churches/groups started by one of the Lord’s “servants”, or convert to their group, church, or way of thinking. It means that everyone needs to convert to the Lord. It means that all the ‘servants’ of the Lord must live what the Lord taught. They must accept each other, and accept that the Lord never gives all revelations, prophecies, and gifts to just one servant or one set of servants, but He is very cautious to ensure that each ‘servant’ has a unique gift or set of gifts. Zion must have all those gifts, and they can only be had in unison when all the ‘servants’ are united and accept that they are not the special one. Zion will only be established when those ‘servants’, those priests in white, are clothed in light. THEY MUST GET ALONG! And one ‘servant’ must not think that they are any more valuable to the work than another.
The Prophets, Prophetesses, and Servants of God must unite for Zion to come.
.
This always seems to be a popular topic. And everyone has their own speculation. Some of the 'servants' of God are shown little bits and pieces of the answer to this, then they, rather unfortunately, speculate the rest. There is no need to speculate. The Lord already answered this question and it has been clearly recorded in holy writ.
This post is directed toward the servants of God.
1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
.Contrary to popular belief, Zion will not come when enough people are converted to the church or to any specific group. It will not come when the One Mighty and Strong comes to set the churches in order. Zion will only come when the ‘servants’ of God see eye to eye, and start getting along. The ‘servants’ of God are the ones who need to be united.
[Unfortunately, there is exceedingly great pride among the ‘servants’ of God, and many of them seem to think that since God communes with them in some way, or has communed with them in some way, that this makes them special. And now because they think they are special, they think that they have some kind of rights or authority that others do not have. Some of these ‘servants’ even start churches, often setting themselves up (or others setting them up) for a light. All too often there is the belief that when enough people join this new church, the second coming will occur. This of course is false!]
This does not mean that everyone should shun the churches/groups, nor that everyone needs to gather to the various churches/groups started by one of the Lord’s “servants”, or convert to their group, church, or way of thinking. It means that everyone needs to convert to the Lord. It means that all the ‘servants’ of the Lord must live what the Lord taught. They must accept each other, and accept that the Lord never gives all revelations, prophecies, and gifts to just one servant or one set of servants, but He is very cautious to ensure that each ‘servant’ has a unique gift or set of gifts. Zion must have all those gifts, and they can only be had in unison when all the ‘servants’ are united and accept that they are not the special one. Zion will only be established when those ‘servants’, those priests in white, are clothed in light. THEY MUST GET ALONG! And one ‘servant’ must not think that they are any more valuable to the work than another.
The Prophets, Prophetesses, and Servants of God must unite for Zion to come.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
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Thursday, 30 October 2014
That All May Be Profited Thereby
D&C 46:11,12,19,20About a day and a half ago, I was quite sick and in a lot of pain. I prayed for relief from the pain and to be delivered from the sickness, but I did not see any immediate effect. I thought perhaps my faith was lacking, and so I prayed more earnestly. Then something wonderful happened. My 10 year old daughter came over and sat beside me, prayed and administered to me. I could feel her incredible faith healing me. The pain was leaving so fast I could feel it. Within a couple of hours the pain was gone, and I was able to fall asleep. When I woke in the morning, I was significantly better and on the mend. In about 24 hours I was completely cured.
For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
…
And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
I feel so blessed to receive a blessing through one of the Lords own servants!
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Thursday, 23 October 2014
Further Light And Knowledge
Does it make any sense to pray for an experienced coach, then when the Lord sends one, to not listen to the coach or follow his proven method????
Recently, I saw this very thing. A young lad, with a great deal of talent, had been praying for a coach to train him so that he could win at his track meets. The Lord provided the boy with a chance (nothing is chance) encounter with a coach who had trained champions. The meeting went well, and the coach agreed to re-arrange his schedule and take on the lad.
The boy started with a great deal of enthusiasm, but his enthusiasm quickly turned to begrudgement. The coach demanded that the boy actually follow instructions and train hard, and to cross train in ways that the boy could not see the benefit. So, it did not take long for the lad to leave his new coach. Because of his natural talent, the boy thought he was special, and that his way was the right way, after all, it had gotten him this far. But he didn’t realize that the coach trains all sorts of prodigy’s who all have tremendous amounts of natural talent. The young lad quit without even realizing the value of the opportunities that the Lord placed before him.
The coach continues to accept new clients and to train champions. And the boy returned to his old training methods and is struggling along, praying for further light and knowledge.
Does it make any sense to pray for an experienced coach, then when the Lord sends one, to not listen to the coach or follow his proven method????
May we all have the wisdom to recognize and accept the help the Lord sends our way.
.
Recently, I saw this very thing. A young lad, with a great deal of talent, had been praying for a coach to train him so that he could win at his track meets. The Lord provided the boy with a chance (nothing is chance) encounter with a coach who had trained champions. The meeting went well, and the coach agreed to re-arrange his schedule and take on the lad.
The boy started with a great deal of enthusiasm, but his enthusiasm quickly turned to begrudgement. The coach demanded that the boy actually follow instructions and train hard, and to cross train in ways that the boy could not see the benefit. So, it did not take long for the lad to leave his new coach. Because of his natural talent, the boy thought he was special, and that his way was the right way, after all, it had gotten him this far. But he didn’t realize that the coach trains all sorts of prodigy’s who all have tremendous amounts of natural talent. The young lad quit without even realizing the value of the opportunities that the Lord placed before him.
The coach continues to accept new clients and to train champions. And the boy returned to his old training methods and is struggling along, praying for further light and knowledge.
Does it make any sense to pray for an experienced coach, then when the Lord sends one, to not listen to the coach or follow his proven method????
May we all have the wisdom to recognize and accept the help the Lord sends our way.
.
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Signs In The Heavens
This dragon appeared in the sky above the village a little over a week ago.
And under the Dragon's mouth was this branch being burned.
When interpreting signs it is best not to jump to any conclusions, but to take it to the Lord in prayer, and inquire of Him for the interpretation.
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And under the Dragon's mouth was this branch being burned.
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