tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75442667449216370062024-03-13T05:18:13.504-07:00Kenneth is Long For Kenny: Observations of a College StudentKenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-60999283710432451602016-12-07T22:16:00.005-08:002016-12-07T22:16:48.117-08:00Overcoming Unnecessary Guilt in a Gospel Context<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background: #F9FCFE; color: #444444;">How can we avoid the
guilt that sometimes comes with the gospel? In other words, at times even when
I am reading my scriptures and praying regularly I feel like I am not doing my
part. I never feel like the Lord is happy with me.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: #F9FCFE; color: #444444;"> We know that guilt to the spirit is
like pain to the body; it is an essential indication of the need to repent and
better ourselves. It is not rare however for a saint to self-inflict themselves
with guilt for one reason or another and this can be dangerous because it is
depressing to put forth a valiant effort and still feel like you are coming up
short, so how can this be avoided? How can we eliminate guilt that is the cause
of our incorrect perception and not actually caused by sin? First we need to
make sure we know that perfection is not a prerequisite to grace. In Doctrine
and Covenants 39:4 Christ says, “…Even so will I give unto as many as will
receive me power to become my sons.” This is so important that we get the order
of events right. First we receive Christ and then we have power to become his
sons, or become like He is. Often times we flip this concept and think that we
need to become like He is by our own strength and then we can enter into his
grace. That is a false and dangerous idea because we will never be good enough
for Christ, but he is willing to accept us as we are, if we just allow him to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #F9FCFE; color: #444444;"> Another important thing that will
help us remove some of our guilt is to be more liberal in our speech of Christ’s
grace. We often say that thoughts lead to words, but I think it’s almost more
powerful in reverse, words lead to thoughts. If we vocalize the gratitude we
have for Christ and his atonement, we will start to think more on the grace he
has given us and less on the criticism we give ourselves. God knows how
important this is and so he has given us a commandment in Doctrine and
Covenants 25:12-13 “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea a song
of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing
upon their heads. Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice…” The Lord has not
only told us to praise Him, he has given us the very words. We should never
underestimate the power of a hymn. Too often we see hymns as fluff. If we need
to save time in a meeting we cut out the hymn, but I feel that hymns are
essential in assuring that our focus is on Christ’s grace and mercy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #F9FCFE; color: #444444;"> One more thing that we can do to
remove some of the guilt we feel is found in Doctrine and Covenants 27:2 “…It
mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the
sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory-
remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you and my blood
which was shed for the remission of your sins.” If we partake of the Sacrament
with an eye single to the glory of God then we will have a stark remembrance of
the sacrifice that Christ made for us. If we have the perspective that Christ
wants us to have we will realize that our lives are worth the life of a God. In
his book <i>The Screwtape Letters,</i> C.S.
Lewis wrote (from the perspective of a demon) “</span><span style="background: white;">It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their
minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” Satan isn’t
necessarily telling us all the time that we’re worthless, he’s just fighting to
make sure we don’t remember how much we’re really worth. Taking the sacrament
with the right perspective will overcome that tactic of the enemy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"> As 2 Nephi 2:25 teaches, we were made to have joy. Just
because perfect obedience amplifies that joy, it should not be a prerequisite
to joy in general. We just have to learn how to see us from God’s perspective. </span><span style="background: #F9FCFE; color: #444444;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-71564971762293977872016-12-07T14:08:00.000-08:002016-12-07T14:08:03.932-08:00Good, Better, Best... and Best?<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Lucida Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
often hear about 'good, better, best' decisions. How do we choose between two
seemingly 'best' options?</span></i><u><o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Lucida Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The path to the Lord is straight and narrow,
but it doesn’t mean that there is no room for variation. Not every person has
to follow the exact same course of action to be able to successfully return to
God’s presence. In fact, God wants us to learn how to act for ourselves as
explained in Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-27, “For behold it is not meet that I
should command in all things… Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in
a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much
righteousness” This might be a scary principle to apply in our lives because we
may feel like God has a path for us, and even though these two decisions both
seem good, how can I be sure that I didn’t miss out on some of the blessings by
picking the wrong path. The Lord assures us that we can be confident in our
decisions in Doctrine and Covenants 58:28, “…And inasmuch as men do good, they
shall in nowise lose their reward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 23.75pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Lucida Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Maybe in the past we have felt good about a
decision and then it ended up not being the “best” like we thought it was. This
shouldn’t make us afraid of continuing to act for ourselves in the future.
Sometimes the Lord will wait for us to go down the wrong path before
instructing us, as was the case with the elders traveling to Missouri. They
asked God if they should travel by land or canoe and received the answer that
it didn’t matter to the Lord. They chose to travel by canoe and then the
dangers of the river forced them to the banks and they had to continue on foot.
When the elders questioned why they were permitted at all to travel by water
the Lord responded, “I suffered it that ye might bear record; behold, there are
many dangers upon the waters, and more especially hereafter;” (Doctrine and
Covenants 61:4). When the Lord doesn’t give us specific direction, and both
options seem “best” we should proceed with faith and trust that if we go the
wrong way, the Lord won’t let us get far without correcting our course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-43611036887542183872016-10-17T19:52:00.001-07:002016-10-17T19:52:06.270-07:00Why I support Evan McMullin, and why I initially was hesitantAs all of my Facebook friends know, up to this point I have been an avid supporter of Gary Johnson, but as of today I have made up my mind that I will be voting for Evan McMullin. Gary Johnson didn't do anything in particular to lose my vote. I agree with a lot of what he believes and says and I think that he is an extremely honest and sincere person. I have a lot of respect for Governor Johnson and the awesome job he did with New Mexico. I would have supported him through all his "gaffes" up until election day if it weren't for the wild card named Evan McMullin.<div>
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<b><u>Why I hestitated to support McMullin</u></b></div>
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There are many reasons I didn't want to support him at first, one of the biggest being that he is unable to be on the ballot in over 30 states. I'm all about voting your conscience and that you shouldn't avoid a third party because you feel like it's "wasting your vote", however with McMullin it's not only unlikely that he gets enough electoral votes, it's mathematically impossible. This was a big turn off for me. I have since accepted however that he has as good a chance as Johnson does for getting elected since both are banking on both major candidates failing to get 270 electoral votes and congress appointing them. </div>
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The next reason I hestitated to support him was his Mormon faith. This might seem strange since I am Mormon, but let me explain. I, like many Latter Day Saints, was saddened by the amount of people in 2008 that said they would never vote for Mitt Romney solely because he was Mormon. It seemed unfair and unAmerican, but then in the primaries Romney received 90% of the vote in Utah against John McCain and I gaurantee that if Romney had the exact same political views and moral standards, but was Baptist, it would have been a much closer race. My point is, a lot of Mormons supported Mitt Romney ONLY because he is Mormon which in my mind is just as bad as not supporting him just because he is Mormon. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't leaping to support McMullin only because of his Mormon faith and so I have taken the time to really understand his policies and while there is a lot more I can read and watch, I have read and seen enough to support him, here's what I've liked.</div>
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<b><u>Why I now Support McMullin</u></b></div>
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One of Evan McMullin's biggest selling points is his service as a CIA operative. He has a very profound understanding of the war on terror and he knows what needs to be done to stop ISIS. His foreign policy is excellent.</div>
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The next thing I like about him is his presentation. He's a very collected person who talks with authority but maintains respect. He has stated why he is a better option than his opponents but he does it without name calling or immature summations of their character. He points to their actions and words and policies and uses that to show why they are unfit for office. On top of that he uses an intelligent vocabulary and a calm demeanor that shows that he is confident and in control.</div>
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He is a man of faith, but respects government. When questioned on whether he would try to appoint Justices that would change the Supreme Court ruling on Same Sex Marriage he replied that he would not. He explained that as a man of faith he believes that marriage is ordained of God as a sacred covenant between a man and woman, but then explained that the president represents all faiths, not just his, and that he would respect the Supreme Court ruling. I find this to be a sign of maturity and that he is ready to represent a nation and not just a subsection of that nation.</div>
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He is fiscally conservative. This is extremely important to me, I think our government has been spending money in a very immature way and we are out of control. Unlike the candidate on the Republican ticket, McMullin is a true conservative.</div>
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He wants to decriminalize marijuana, but not legalize it. I feel like the debate on marijuana has always been black and white, legal or a criminal act, but there is a classification system on drugs and you can make decriminalize a drug without making it legal for medical and recreational use. This is extremely important because it would allow science to do much more meaningful research that could shine light on the true breadth of side effects from marijuana.</div>
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I could go on, but the point is, Evan McMullin aligns with my views in many many ways and I feel like I have finally had enough exposure to his campaign to know that I am supporting him for the right reason. </div>
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Evan McMullin 2016</div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-942967818594237872016-07-22T14:50:00.002-07:002016-07-22T14:50:29.463-07:00Work TherapyIt seems like everyone is longing for a get rich quick scheme. They dream of a time called retirement when finally they'll be able to relax. They will do anything to avoid a 40 hour work week. But I propose that a 40 hour work week brings more happiness than a million dollar winning lottery ticket.<br />
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I'm writing this post right after I woke up from a nap. I took a nap because I was exhausted. I was exhausted because I finished up a 2 day employment where I worked 30 hours. It was a construction job at the LDS temple in Los Angeles. I arrived the first day at 6am and expected an 8 hour work day. I was imagining being done at around 2pm, driving home and being able to attend institute. Instead I finished at 7:20pm got home around 9pm, ate dinner and went to bed. I woke up at 3:30am again and drove to LA to be at work by 6am. I worked until almost 11pm. They thanked me for my work and then I drove home. Probably a risky move since in the 2 days combined I had slept a grand total of 8 hours. But despite physical exhaustion, I was happier than I had been all summer. Not because I suddenly had a lot of money, but because I felt accomplished. <br />
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As I was 20 feet in the air trying to hold a piece of plywood against some 2x4's and shoot nails in at the right spots extremely stressed because any slip up could damage an extremely valuable mural that was just a foot in front of me, I wasn't thinking about any of the mistakes I made this summer. I wasn't worried about politics or drama, I was just focused on the task at hand. <br />
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At 10am each day we got our lunch break and that was all the food I'd eat in the entire work day. Two peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, an applesauce, some dried mango, and some fruit snacks for dessert. I eat more than that during one episode of Shark Tank on days where I don't get up and do anything at all! Even if your job isn't as physically demanding as construction, it can be very good for your health by taking you out of your home and away from your tv which has been proven to increase your eating.<br />
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I feel like this post is very scattered, like I said, I just woke up from a nap, but the point I wanted to make is, your 9-5 job can be the best therapy in the world if you allow it to be. If you are working a job and you just spend your time complaining about how much it sucks to have to work and that it's too demanding, then you're missing out on a very big blessing. There are thousands of people that would give anything to be employed. Search for the good things in your work. Be happy that you have a job. For those who are students, being in class can be equally therapeutic. It is your job in a sense to be a good student. For those who have opted to not work in order to take care of children, allow that to be therapeutic for you. Find inner strength to not settle for distracting your children and surviving each day. Find things to accomplish, create projects and adventures with your children.<br />
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My most miserable days are the days when I have been so free from obligation that I was able to sit in front of the television all day. Some of the best days in my life, and probably my most consistent happiness is from my mission when I worked every day for two years. 10-9. No vacations, no holidays, and no pay.<br />
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Happiness in life doesn't come from being able to survive while doing nothing, happiness comes from having the strength to do something every single day.Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-91129198322857624622016-05-16T11:12:00.002-07:002016-05-16T11:12:37.884-07:00How to vote in 2016I share everyone's concern as we near the 2016 Presidential election. A Trump v. Clinton election is terrifying, but let's face the reality. Even with a good, upstanding candidate, there isn't a lot a president can really do. Congress is not passing anything, our government is just sitting there depositing our checks with empty promises. So how can you really make a difference in 2016? How about exercising your right to vote in the checkout line at the grocery store. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the direction of American commerce and buying whole foods and plant based foods is voting to change America. Here's how!<div>
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1.) Healthcare: Billions of dollars are spent by the government each year on healthcare. We can't just let people die in the streets so it's a complicated issue! How about we learn how to prevent our health problems in the first place! On a whole foods plant based diet we can nearly eliminate heart disease, diabetes, obesity (which is connected to thousands of other illnesses), osteoporosis, arthritis, and even a vast majority of cancer. </div>
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2.) Economy: Americans are right that we need to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour.... IF WE ARE SUSTAINING OUR LIFESTYLE. Why don't we consider a lifestyle change as a viable option? We need $15 an hour to buy fast food three times a day, to eat McDonald's breakfast all day, and to purchase Milk and beef! But you probably could live on $5 an hour if you realized that a $2 bag of potatoes is all we really need to survive! Stop eating out so much, and stop eating expensive health threatening foods. Vegetables are more expensive, but they aren't the staple we need. Buy rice, pasta, and potatoes! Throw in a few vegetables and you'll save thousands of dollars.</div>
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3.) Global Warming: Methane gas is much more damaging to the environment than Carbon Dioxide, Methane gas that is produced by cows! Obviously we can't eliminate cows from the face of the planet, but if we stop raising beef to sustain 7 billion people, than there will be a lot less of them. Raising livestock contributes to about 18% of all greenhouse gases where if you add up all the transportation worldwide (not just cars, but boats and planes and trains) then you get about 15%.</div>
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4.) World Hunger: On the same amount of land required to raise 100 lbs of beef, you can grow about 10,000 lbs of potatoes! 'nuff said.</div>
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PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES! Every day is election day! And you have as many votes as you like. If Americans stop buying beef and dairy, they'll stop producing it! Supply and demand baby, supply and demand. You have the power to change the world. Don't wait another 4 years, because I promise that you'll probably be just as dissatisfied with whoever is on the ballot next time.</div>
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Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-55875331593289194042016-04-13T22:54:00.000-07:002016-04-13T22:54:19.627-07:00The Bro CodeThe Bro Code. It's a code of honor among male friends that was popularized by the hit show How I Met Your Mother, but is it a joke or should it be taken with more than a grain of salt? <div>
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This semester in my apartment the bro code has been a popular topic; we even have in our possession the official Barney Stinson Bro Code book. We read from it and we laugh at it and to be honest, some points have been applied in every day scenarios, but it does hold a certain riduclousness to it as it tells us how to wear hats, how to lie to potential girlfriends, and how to get away with immorality. It's obvious that the book authored by Stinson is nothing short of a joke. So that raises the question, is there really a bro code?</div>
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The answer is yes. The real bro code is found in a book of scripture exclusive to the Latter Day Saints known as Doctrine and Covenants. Whether you accept this book as revelation from God or total blasphemy, you cannot deny the wisdom and power of the code of conduct found in Section 108 verse 7:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><br /></b><b>"Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings." </b></blockquote>
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It's as simple as that. A bro never brings another bro down. The world's bro code allows for playful insults and a little bit of humiliation if it's deserved, but the Lord's bro code doesn't. We have a duty to lift up everyone in our path. <br />
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I'm not saying that the joke needs to end. I love getting out of tense situations by making the bro code my scapegoat and I love the laughter and jokes that it brings into my apartment but when the going gets tough I want my friends to know that I'm going to be there for them. I want them to know that if I ever make a joke that is hurtful, they can let me know and I will apologize and strive to be better. This life is hard, we need each other, especially before marriage. As we experience broken hearts, disappointments, big life choices, we need each other and it is all of our responsibility to lift one another up. <br />
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I guess as a final note I'll just add this: This "bro code" or code of conduct SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO BROS. Any man who tears down or discourages a woman with his words or actions is not a man. He is a coward and weak individual. This is not so much a bro code as a human being code, but I write about it as a bro code to contrast the increasingly popular code laid out by Mr. Stinson.<br />
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May we all seek to build up one another is my humble invitation. As you read this, send a text, or a facebook message, or call a friend that has come to mind. Let them know how much you appreciate them, and tell them why they're great. You'll learn that as you bring light into other peoples lives, you can't help brightening up your own.<br />
<br />Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-63429152718694018402015-12-15T14:08:00.000-08:002015-12-15T14:27:56.918-08:00A Christian's Guide to Loving Homosexuals<i>On February 20, 2013 I published a blog post entitled, <a href="http://kennethhanshermansen.blogspot.com/2013/02/thoughts-on-homosexuality-from-straight.html">"Thoughts on Homosexuality from a Straight Mormon"</a> A couple weeks later I left for my two year LDS mission. Upon returning, I found a comment left on that post asking for a follow up. In the post I say that we all need to love our homosexual brothers and sisters, but the question was raised, "HOW does a strong christian love their homosexual brothers and sisters?". It was a hard question and I have meditated a lot on the issue and I finally feel ready to respond, so here it goes.</i><br />
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My friend Julia Devera is engaged to the love of her life, Victoria Lopez. I thought there would be no better person than Julia to base this post on and she so gracefully granted me permission to talk about her. I would like to introduce her to everyone.<br />
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Julia is a beautiful young lady who comes from a great family. They are so fun a silly and can laugh together. For Halloween this year they all dressed up as different characters from Inisde Out. She recently graduated from CSULB. In high school she was a blast to be around. We had several classes together and she's super smart. She's also very talented! She plays basketball and she plays the piano! In fact we took piano lessons from the same teacher and we performed together three times! Playing the songs Angels We Have Heard on High, <a href="https://youtu.be/Sg1SF9jaGaQ">Baby it's Cold Outside</a>, and <a href="https://youtu.be/36moZe4ND5s">C.S. Themes and Variations.</a><br />
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This is a brief, brief introduction into who Julia is, and based on that, I can introduce the three keys to why I am able to love her, and three keys to how every Christian can love any homosexual.<br />
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A CHRISTIAN'S GUIDE TO LOVING HOMOSEXUALS<br />
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1.) <b>Get to know people entirely, not just their sexual orientation.</b> Julia is not "my lesbian friend." She is a great friend who has likes and dislikes, who loves her family and shares many core values with me. She is a talented person who shares in my love for music and sports and someone who will understand my math jokes. And yes, she happens to be lesbian. It's part of who she is but it's not her only attribute<br />
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2.) <b>Do not try to ignore the fact that homosexuals are homosexual.</b> If you use step one to find all the attributes of someone and use those to cover up the fact that they are gay, then you will have a hard time loving them because it's not something you can or should avoid forever. I have seen Julia kiss her girlfriend several times. Had I been trying to ignore the fact that she is gay, it would have made for a very uncomfortable situation, but I don't pretend she is anything she's not, or that she's not anything that she is. I accept the fact that I don't choose who Julia loves nor does she choose who I love and I'm okay with that.<br />
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3.) <b>You are not God.</b> Commandments are for us to learn and apply to our lives so that we can be happy. I believe it is a commandment to not be in a homosexual relationship, but I also believe it is a commandment to not drink coffee! What do I do with this information? I don't get into a homosexual relationship, and I don't drink coffee. What do I NOT do with this information? I do not tell every gay person and every coffee drinker that they are going to hell. First of all that's just rude and second, I am not God. I will not be the one who decides Julia's eternal fate, so I shouldn't try to. Julia knows what I believe on the subject and she obviously disagrees. It will do me no good to bring it up to her constantly, it will only hurt a friendship. <br />
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There may be those Christians who feel like it is beneficial for them to distance themselves from "sinners" and they have that right, but they don't have the right to be rude, or cruel, or mocking. They can respectfully abstain from making friendships with people who differ from them.<br />
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As for me, I love Julia, and I love having her as a friend. I look back with great fondness on our piano recitals. I feel like I have gained a lot from my association with her and she has always been respectful of my beliefs.<br />
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I hope that this has been an adequate response to the question at hand. I welcome any more questions or feedback. May we all feel God's love for us, and in turn, show that love to ALL of our brothers and sisters.Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-37699258667848555032015-08-05T20:35:00.001-07:002015-08-05T20:35:36.546-07:00The Ministration of Angels in our day
Angel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a word with a positive connotation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If given the opportunity to see an angel of
God, most people would accept and have great desires to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scriptures teach us however that such
visitations are very rare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, in the
Book of Mormon, the prophet named Mormon teaches that the ministering of angels
is in full force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Have miracles ceased?
Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the
children of men… And the office of their ministry is to call men unto
repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Moroni 7:29,31).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if angels are still working like they did
in ancient times, why do we hear so little about them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The first
reason is that the visitation of an angel is an extremely sacred experience
normally given to those of a very high spiritual maturity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President Boyd K. Packer once stated, “I have
come to believe that it is not wise to continually talk of unusual spiritual experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are to be guarded with care and shared
only when the Spirit itself prompts you to use them to the blessing of others.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strongly believe that angelic visitations
still occur, though they are a very rare occurrence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also believe that the previously given
quote is the very reason we don’t hear of these experiences often.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The second
reason that we don’t hear a lot about messages from angels is that most of the
time we may not even notice it was an angel that gave us a message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that this is the larger
reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grand majority of angelic
communication does not occur in face to face conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is explained in the Book of Mormon, in 2
Nephi 32:3 “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means that when we receive the still
small impressions from the Holy Ghost, it may be an impression sent from an angel!
What a fantastic concept, isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
do not need to see angels, to receive their message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have reflected on the times when the Holy
Ghost has spoken to me, I cannot help but feel the influence of loved ones in some
of those promptings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know that
there is a great force of angels looking out for us and protecting us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel that this is important to understand
because in a world that is increasing in corruption each day, we must remember
that we will never be alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it seems
that the opposition is too numerous we can recall the words of the prophet
Elisha, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with
them” (2 Kings 6:16).</p>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-14476464941844058032015-07-29T13:41:00.001-07:002015-07-29T13:41:54.025-07:00Don't Stop Believing
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Book of Mormon includes the
record of a people known as the Jaredites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This name comes from the principal ancestor of their people named
Jared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jared’s brother was a prophet and
they lived at the time and place of the Tower of Babel spoken of in the
Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Lord counfounds the
languages of the people at the tower Jared and his family avoid this fate through
earnest prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord then promises
them a choice land, and tells them that He will lead them there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This land is the Americas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Book of Mormon tells us the desire of the
Lord for these people, “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop
[at] the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should [go forth] even
unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the
Lord God had preserved for a righteous people” (Ether 2:7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, the Lord led this people through the
wilderness and had prepared a way for them to cross the sea to the
Americas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite this fact, the people
halted their progression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…the Lord did
bring Jared and his brethren forth, even to that great sea which divideth the
lands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as they came to the sea they
pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and
they dwelt in tents… upon the seashore for the space of four years” (Ether
2:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually they do figure things
out and the Lord helps them cross the sea, but I want to reflect a bit on this
cessation in progress, and liken it unto us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Lord has great blessings in
store for all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has an eternal
perspective and knows our potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
knows where we can end up in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we
pray sincerely, He will be our guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think this is a very common occurrence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The majority of people at some time in their life become overwhelmed and
find comfort in trusting in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This could be a result of difficult questions like, “I graduated high
school, now what?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What should I major
in?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who should I marry?” “Where should
I live?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that the decisions I
made after highschool to attend BYU and in time to dedicate two years of my
life to the Lord in Mexico, were decisions that depended heavily upon the
guidance of the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt his hand
guiding me through those decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
maybe recently, I have pitched a tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t doubt that Moriancumer where the Jaredites pitched there tents, was a
beautiful place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a virgin beach,
and had at least enough plants and animals to maintain their group for four
years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like that beachfront property, I’m
in a good place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m in a great
university, I am very pleased with the two years of service that I gave to the
Lord, I have a job—things are going great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are many of you that might be in this situation, and things don’t have
to be perfect, they just have to be comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We feel like we’ve reached some destination,
when really we’re still on the journey! We know we should be here because the
Lord guided us here, but we are blinding ourselves to the fact that the Lord is
saying, keep on going.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">So how is it possible to change
this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord chastens the brother of
Jared for his lack of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
brother of Jared was a prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
unlikely that he stopped praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But maybe
his prayers changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He probably
continued to thank the Lord for life and happiness, but maybe he stopped
seeking that guidance from the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe he stopped asking questions and therefore stunted his flow of
personal revelation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can learn from
this experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not at the
destination that the Lord has in mind for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need to keep on moving, and doing it with constant and profound
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hear the Lord, and then don’t forget
to seek that guidance continually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
forget the feeling of the Holy Ghost as it whispers to your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">There is no better way to say it,
then to quote Journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Don’t stop believing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hold on to that feeling.” </p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-46096232280419182342015-07-23T09:49:00.001-07:002015-07-23T09:55:10.377-07:00 Writing it Down In the Book of
Mormon we have the blessing of reading the words of a great prophet named Samuel,
and specifically a prophecy he made that when Christ is resurrected, many of
the dead would rise from their graves and minister unto the living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later we are able to read that this prophecy
was fulfilled, however this would not have been possible had Christ not come to
the Americas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 3 Nephi 23:9 Christ inquires
of his disciples, "<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I commanded my servant<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Samuel</span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">,
the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the
Father should glorify his name in me that there were<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">many</span><span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">saints</span><span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span>who should<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">arise</span><span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span>from the dead, and should appear unto
many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?". </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The
disciples confirmed the truthfulness of this claim, and then Christ asked, “How
be it that ye have not written this thing…?” (3 Nephi 23:11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says that in that moment Nephi remembered
that he hadn’t written it down, and under Christ’s direct command, those things
were written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> I feel like every person should imagine themselves in the
shoes of Nephi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we die, we will go
to judgement before Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What detail
of your life might he ask you about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
asked myself this question and recalled when a friend shared her testimony and
it was extremely powerful to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
exactly what I needed to hear, and it was as if Heavenly Father was talking
directly to me through her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
imagine Christ saying, “I commanded her that she should speak this words and
they pierced you to the very soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was
it not so?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would undeniably confirm
his claim, and then I thought about the question that would come after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How be it that ye have not written this
thing?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could only imagine the shame,
the self disappointment that I would feel in that position, and so from that
moment of reflection I resolved to be better about keeping a journal, and doing
it right. </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A journal should
not be a collection of gossip, but a collection of testimony, showing the
marvelous works of God in your life each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This journal will come to be a strength to you in your own life, and may
very well be a strength to your posterity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On this subject, President Spencer W. Kimball said the following: “</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to
keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of
counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our
posterity.”</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="padding: 0in; border: 1pt windowtext; border-image: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in;"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="padding: 0in; border: 1pt windowtext; border-image: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in;"> I hope we can all begin this wonderful practice.</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br></p>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-53455373170690271162015-07-17T17:20:00.001-07:002015-07-17T17:20:23.021-07:00Who Come Unto Me
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">When Christ appeared in the
America’s he shared many amazing teachings and performed many miracles because
of the great faith found among the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One section of his teachings was quite similar, actually almost identical,
to the Sermon on the Mount as found in the Bible in Saint Matthew chapters
5-7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are however some differences
between the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon at the Temple given in the
Americas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these differences come
because the Lord adapts his teaching to different regions of the world, some
come because of the timing of the sermons, one being before the Lord’s death,
and the other coming after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then
there are differences that come because the Bible has been translated so many
times that details may have fallen through the gaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is one detail in particular found in
the third verse of Matthew 5 and the third verse of 3 Nephi 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Bible this verse reads, “Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Book of Mormon’s equivalent reads,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difference is found in four
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who come unto me…” These four
words make a world of difference.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have in
my long life of twenty years meditated upon what characteristics I want in a
future wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never has the thought come
to me, “I want a wife who is poor in spirit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quite the contrary, I want a wife who is spiritually powerful. A wife
who knows the scriptures, who loves God, who is actively participating in
church assignments and activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
want a spiritually rich wife, and I want to be a spiritually rich husband and
father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am certain that this is what
God and Christ want as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ
wants us to be spiritual giants but there is only one way to achieve that:
humbling ourselves and allowing ourselves to be strengthened in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then and only then will we become candidates
for the kingdom of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A person who
is poor in spirit is someone who has weaknesses and recognizes them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is good, and preferable over the all too
common sin of pride, but a Book of Mormon prophet teaches us what happens when,
after we are poor in spirit, we go to the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ether 12:27 reads, “<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">And if men come unto me
I will show unto them their</span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> weakness</span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">. I<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">give</span><span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span>unto men weakness that they may be
humble; and my<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">grace</span><span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </span>is sufficient for all men that<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">humble</span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> themselves
before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then
will I make<span> </span></span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">weak</span><span style="word-spacing: 0px; float: none; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> things
become strong unto them.</span>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
this verse we can learn what kind of person someone who goes unto Christ
is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not spiritually poor, or
weak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not strong in their own strength, but strong
in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what Christ wanted for
us, that we can find wealth, spiritual wealth, and that we can recognize the
only source of that wealth is Christ himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We can all go unto Christ by making and keeping sacred covenants with him. We will then find that as we honor those covenants we will find ourselves closer to Christ, and spiritually enriched.
</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br></span></p>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-73976803149088208452015-07-09T12:34:00.001-07:002015-07-09T12:34:44.890-07:00I have great worth though I am nothing
<p style="margin: 1em 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">Wednesday in my Book of Mormon
class we studied Helaman 12 where Mormon pauses from the narrative to remind
us of our nothingness. “O how great is the nothingness of the children of men;
yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth. For behold, the dust of the
earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our
great and everlasting God.” -Helaman 12:7-8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a lengthy and strongly worded sermon and a wonderful lesson on the
importance of humility. But there was a concern raised about going too far:
becoming “humble” to the point where we become self-deprecating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This concern and the discussion following has
stayed with me and I wanted to try and decipher the secret a little more for
myself and hopefully for anyone who reads this.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The first key I
thought of is perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Doctrine
and Covenants section 4 God describes one of the important characteristics
that we should strive for is to have an eye single to his glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often I have found myself meditating on what
exactly that means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through much study I have come to believe that it means that we see the
same way he does, or come to have a single eye with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to adopt God’s
perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of our
nothingness we need to have his perspective in two ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, how does God see us in comparison to
him? In a sermon given by one of the leaders of the LDS church Dieter F.
Uchtdorf, he spoke of how God sees us like toddlers still learning how to
walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should be humbling to
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to understand that compared
to God we are completely powerless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the same time this perspective can help us avoid self-deprecation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we get mad at a baby who can’t walk? Of course not. In the same way we
need to have God’s perspective and see that we are so very young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will fall, but God doesn’t get angry with
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will encourage us to get up and
try again.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We also need to
adopt God’s perspective in seeing ourselves in comparison to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a great lesson on this subject in
church on Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They brought three
people to the front of the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of
them stood shoulder to shoulder and the teacher asked who was taller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t hard to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he had the third person stand on a table
and look straight down on the two girls. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teacher asked which was taller and the man
on the table observed that from his perspective, it wasn’t possible to
tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This reminded me of a great talk
in an LDS conference by church leader Dale G. Renlund.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this talk Elder Renlund shares the following anecdote:</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 15pt 1in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";'>Some years ago a wonderful young man named
Curtis was called to serve a mission. He was the kind of missionary every
mission president prays for. He was focused and worked hard. At one point he
was assigned a missionary companion who was immature, socially awkward, and not
particularly enthusiastic about getting the work done.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 15pt 1in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";'>One day, while they were riding their
bicycles, Curtis looked back and saw that his companion had inexplicably gotten
off his bike and was walking. Silently, Curtis expressed his frustration to
God; what a chore it was to be saddled with a companion he had to drag around
in order to accomplish anything. Moments later, Curtis had a profound
impression, as if God were saying to him, “You know, Curtis, compared to me,
the two of you aren’t all that different.”</span></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0in;">I love that quote, “Compared to me, the two of you aren’t all
that different.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a constant
reminder that life isn’t a competition with other people! We can’t become proud
because we understand that God isn’t comparing those “worse” than us to
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we can’t become self-deprecating
because God isn’t comparing those who are “better” than us, to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must always maintain God’s perspective.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">The second key is much more simple and yet we often find it difficult to do. The key is turning outward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All problems of pride or self-deprecation
come because we are thinking too much about ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To heal our bodies we must turn inward with medicine and surgery, but
to heal our spirits we must turn outward with charity and service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">I know that by following these rules,
we can all be humble followers of Christ, and we can remember our nothingness
as taught by Mormon, as well as our self-worth and great value in the sight of
God.</p>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-91945406696527146282015-07-02T14:10:00.001-07:002015-07-02T14:16:03.173-07:00Don't be a sore loser
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Book of Helaman (in the Book of Mormon) opens with an
election for a new chief judge. In this election there are three candidates:
Pahoran, Pacumeni, and Paanchi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
three are brothers, and sons of the former chief judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people are divided about which son should
inherit the judgement seat at the time of their father’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t give much insight into the
discussion or campaigning of this election but it is safe to deduce that there
were debates, warm disputes, and many strong opinions, much like a presidential
election in the United States today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
votes were cast and tallied, and the majority vote fell to Pahoran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was placed in the judgement seat and began
his rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to reflect just a bit
on the reaction of each of his brothers. First was his brother Pacumeni.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Helaman 1:6 we read the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“And it came to pass that Pacumeni, when he saw that he
could not obtain the judgement-seat, he did unite with the voice of the
people.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In stark contrast to this we have Paanchi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helaman 1:7 says the following of his
reaction:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“But behold, Paanchi, and that part of the people that were
desirous that he should be their governor, was exceedingly wroth; therefore, he
was about to flatter away those people to rise up in rebellion against their
brethren.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here we have someone who is such a sore loser that he wants
to start a rebellion against HIS OWN BROTHER! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What exactly did this little act of pride bring about? I’ll
tell you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*spoiler alert if you haven’t
finished the Book of Mormon yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because Paanchi was a sore loser, he caused his people to be
sore losers and upset about Pahoran’s power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This led them to form a secret organization to take away his power, they
end up killing Pahoran, but they still don’t get power because Pacumeni ends up
with the throne. So a guy named Gadianton steps up among the secret
organization, says he’ll help them get rule over all the Nephites, they start
civil wars, and eventually bring the extinction of an entire civilization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This example may be extravagant, but the principles are
applicable to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we react when we lose? What
consequences can we have on people around us? Maybe we aren’t in enough power
to persuade the nation to a civil war, but do we ever cause fighting within our
families? In church? At school?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christ has commanded us to be peacemakers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to support our leaders whether they
be religious, political, or in our family--The fifth commandment is to honor
thy father and thy mother; how are we doing with that? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to note here that we can only assume that Pahoran was
a good man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that the people at
this time were righteous and the majority vote would have been for a good man,
my intent is not to say that we have to mindlessly submit ourselves to every
dictator or tyrant that comes along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
intent is that we need to beware of hurt pride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you don’t win a talent competition, it doesn’t give you the right to
criticize everyone else’s talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
a girl/guy you like dates someone else, how do you react? Do you speak poorly
of the other person? Even if it’s not vocal, are your thoughts hateful and
critical?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are thousands of examples where this lesson can be
applied and each person will have a different scenario whether it’s striving to
be valdectorian and falling short, or trying to get a job and not getting
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us accept what falls before us
and with bravery and humility explore the path’s we are given.</span></div>
Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-29886268018296326082015-06-29T12:42:00.003-07:002015-06-29T12:42:36.613-07:00Defend the Family, not the straight dude.<div class="MsoNormal">
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I defend traditional marriage. I know what most of you are thinking already, but this post is not going to talk about homosexuality. I address this post to all the hate filled hypocrites who have so rudely filled up my Facebook feed. I try to avoid such boldness normally, but since you are so bold against gay marriage, I will be bold against all sins that are degrading the family.</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you are a heterosexual living with your partner, but are not legally bound as husband and wife, you are sinning and need to repent. </div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you are sexually active and not married, you are sinning and need to repent.</div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you are married, but look lustfully at other people that are not your spouse, you are sinning severely, and need to repent.</div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you, in your marriage, are able to have children, but make the decision to not have children, or with no search for revelation make a decision to have just one child because it will be less of a burden for you, then you are undermining the very purpose of the marriage institution, and you are going against God’s will, which is also known as sinning, and you need to repent.</div>
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If you want to defend the family, then defend it. But please know what that entails. Many have adopted ignorantly the title of defender of the family, but they are actually just a hater of the homosexual. I cringe every time I see your posts on Facebook, because when the homosexual community tells me that people who share my views, or even people of my own creed and faith, are bigots and hateful, I can only agree with them. We often make the debate to be pro-gay marriage, or anti-gay marriage, but I take no side on that issue. I AM PRO FAMILY and I am against everything that puts family values in jeopardy. What are the family values? Read them in <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng">The Family: A Proclamation to the World</a>. Don’t stop when it says “between a man and a woman” but continue. Read about the gravity of sexual relations outside of marriage, read about the love and respect that MUST exist in a marriage and even more importantly the loyalty. Don’t become an anti-gay expert, become a pro-family expert, and please think before you post things on Facebook. You make us all look bad.</div>
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Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-48182917332899673262015-06-23T16:47:00.001-07:002015-06-23T16:47:39.119-07:00The Devil's Angels <div style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="ltr"><a name="53" class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" style='background: 0px 0px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; border-image: none; color: rgb(0, 145, 188); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'> </a></div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><div style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="ltr"><br></div><font face="Times New Roman"><div style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">In my Book of Mormon class one of my peers made an observation that really made me think. It was a comment concerning Alma 30 verse 53. The chapter of Alma 30 talks about a man named Korihor </font><font face="times new roman">who is an anti-Christ. He teaches the people that there will be no Christ and that they are all allowing themselves to be manipulated by self serving church leaders. He preaches this message to many cities; in some cities he has much success, and in other cities he has less. Eventually he is bound by the righteous believers and taken before the high priest, Alma. Alma confronts Korihor and Korihor repeatedly denies the existence of a God and demands a sign if there is one. God grants Korihor's request and strikes him dumb. Then he obtains a tablet to write upon and scribbles out a tearful confession that God lives, and that Christ will come. In the fifty-third verse he tells his story, how he fell from being a believer to being an anti-Christ, and it reads like this.</font></div></font><div><br></div></span><div><br></div><div><span class="verse" style='background: 0px 0px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; border-image: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'></span></div><blockquote style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="ltr"><div><span class="verse" style='background: 0px 0px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); font: 700 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; border-image: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>53 </span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>But behold, the devil hath<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>deceived</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>me; for he </span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>appeared</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>unto me in the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>form</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>no</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>carnal</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great </span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'>curse</span><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>upon me.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style='font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><br></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="times new roman">My peer's observation was about "he appeared unto me in the form of an angel". He said that he understood that this meant that the devil probably did not appear to Korihor face to face, but he used someone, a person that may have been very dear to Korihor- a friend, relative, teacher, etc. I meditated on that thought a lot. Does the devil ever appear to us today? I believe that it is a far more frequent occurrence than we believe. In Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 the Lord teaches us that if a servant of God speaks, it is as if God himself is speaking. Could not this same logic be applied to the enemy? If a servant of the devil speaks, it is as if the devil himself is speaking, which would make Korihor's statement still true, even if it was the voice of another that he heard. </font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><br></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman">I will not share any details from personal experiences for the sake of my personal privacy as well as the privacy of people I love, but I can speak on this topic as one having experience and so I wish to describe some of the devil's angels that we may face in our lives. One key characteristic is that they will typically be attractive and intelligent people. Isaiah prophesied that Christ would have no physical appeal so that his followers would have sincere hearts, loving the Gospel and not the flesh. Satan on the other hand doesn't care a lick. He is fighting to gather in followers in any way and seems to have the market on attractive, rich, famous people. I find that celebrities and athletes can have an amazing impact for bad in peoples lives. They won't come out and say that there is no God, but they will teach slide in subtle statements that detract from God's importance. They will glorify things such as money, riches, and beauty, encouraging young obsessed fans to put such things above God. </font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><br></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman">I know this next statement will be strong for some, but I have seen that boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, can be some of the devil's most effective angels. They are people with whom we have a unique and special bond. Society teaches us well that they are people for whom we must sacrifice, BUT there is a line. We come to the question of who comes first, them or God. The famous latino musician Prince Royce doesn't think twice of this issue in his hit song "Darte un Beso" (Give you a kiss), as he blatantly states that "even my religion I would change" in his serenade. He does not stand alone as many sacrifice core values for love. Please don't misunderstand me, those significant people in our lives should take an exalted role, and we should be willing to sacrifice much for them, however they must always take second place to God. I must also clarify that a sincere study of religion accompanied by personal revelation that brings about a change in our beliefs is not evil. Likely every one of us has some religious misconception and blatantly false understanding of some aspect of God. Learning is eternal, and we will always be growing in knowledge, what I believe to be the work of the devil is when he brings us to sacrifice what we do believe for things that are, as Korihor put it, "pleasing to the carnal mind.". The two great commandments were given by Christ in order of importance. FIRST we love God, and then our fellow man.</font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><br></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman">Many stories are shared of college professors who openly deny the existence of a God. We mostly hear these stories ending with a brave student standing up, challenging the professor, followed by a beautiful series of events that shocks the professor and reaffirms the students faith. These stories are relatively few however to the number of instances where a professor denies the existence of a God, nobody challenges him, and several students lose their faith. Out of the three examples I will give this is the most diabolical. Though celebrities and loved ones may distract us from the things of God rarely will they intentionally try to destroy our faith. Many learned men however have made it their mission to assure that they persuade as many as possible from faith in God. They believe it is their contribution to society, when truly it is their contribution to the devil's kingdom. I make no disclaimers on their part. They are as the Book of Mormon describes, full of "vainnes... frailties... and foolishness.". "They think they are wise and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves.". (2 Nephi 9:28 Book of Mormon page 75) Korihor could have been directly quoting any one of these educated men, and that may very well have been the case.</font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><br></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman">So the question then is, how can I NOT follow in Korihor's footsteps. The answer is simple; don't stop praying, don't stop reading the scriptures, don't stop going to church. On each path to hell there comes a fork in the road. One side allows us to U-turn, the other continues us on that path. Korihor, though his journey may have begun in ignorance, at one point on his journey, made a very conscious decision that he would continue serving the devil. If you aren't sure which road is which, turn to the scriptures. They are the fountain of all truth. If we hold fast to the word of God, we will not go astray.</font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><br></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="times new roman"></font><div><a name="53" class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" style='background: 0px 0px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); font: 18px/25.2px Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; border-image: none; color: rgb(0, 145, 188); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'> </a></div></font></span></div><div><span style='color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; line-height: 25.2px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Palatino, "Palatino Linotype", Pahoran, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; widows: 1; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.007843); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;'><br></span></div>Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-65584385929086562532013-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:002013-02-20T12:32:25.316-08:00Thoughts on Homosexuality From a Straight Mormon This subject has always been one I preferred to avoid, but it's been increasingly prevalent that it can't be avoided anymore. The United States has become so focused on the issue of gay marriage, that everyone in their lifetime will be forced to address it. The reason I do so right now, is because I just finished reading a very good blog by a young man who is gay and Mormon. I highly recommend it:<br />
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<a href="http://jimmyleehales.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-gay-mormon-coming-out-jimmy-hales.html">http://jimmyleehales.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-gay-mormon-coming-out-jimmy-hales.html</a></div>
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I have an unwavering testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church on Earth. That means that I accept all it's doctrine, including the belief that marriage is a sacred bond that should only be shared between a man and a woman. However, I find myself having to reconfirm this belief constantly. <br />
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My 100% backing of the anti-homosexual idea was first shaken in 2008 during the Proposition 8 movement. It was a very heated topic at Lancaster High School, as I'm sure it was throughout all of California and across the nation. I was very well known as the Mormon kid in school- although I wasn't the only one- and since the LDS Church had taken such a firm position on the issue, I was thrust into the middle of debate quite often. I argued relentlessly that gay was a choice. People were not born with a gene that made them attracted to the same gender. Such a concept was unfathomable. Then one day at lunch, a group of students gathered on the outdoor stage holding high a "No on Prop 8" sign. An LDS senior (I was a freshman at this time) pulled out of his back pack a "Yes on Prop 8" sign and we went to stand as a contrast to this first group. While standing there, we gathered a small backing, and one young man that chose to stand behind us screamed, "F*** the gays!" I cringed, and at the very moment my body tensed up a thought traveled up my spine and into my brain, a thought that scared me a little. I knew that being gay was not a choice. Nobody would choose to be the target of monsters like the young man behind me. I had to make sure, I was standing behind the right sign.<br />
I continued to show my support for Proposition 8. I would go stand on the corners, and I would continue to debate my friends at school, but I knew the debates were pointless. I was never was going to convince anybody to support Prop 8 if I wasn't even sure why I did. But the season came and went. The voting happened, Proposition 8 won, it was a victory for Christians everywhere. <br />
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Although the issue never left my mind, it kinda took a back seat. My sophomore year was not a great year for me, and I kind of blocked it out, I don't remember much of what happened that year, but I know that I wasn't politically vocal about the issue, although it hadn't lost focus in the media, much was being done to reverse the vote of the people of California. My junior year I caught a break, they put Marijuana on the ballot. Now I could be politically vocal about a very heated topic, and not have to worry about my doubts. But something funny happened. <br />
I started having an increasing amount of friends, coming out of the closet. None of them came out to me, they were more of acquaintances, but they were people that I would talk to regularly, and they knew where I stood on the issue of gay marriage. I thought, "Well, we can have civil discussions, and laugh together, so things are ok." And my approach was to just kinda ignore the fact that they had same gender attraction. <br />
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Senior year was upon me. It was a great year. I loved my classes, I got to play varsity volleyball, and I had made some extremely close bonds with amazing people. I was also taking piano lessons. I had been doing this for some time, but now I was on home stretch. I knew I'd be leaving for college right after the summer, and so I was preparing for my final piano recital. I had developed a wonderful tradition of performing a duet at each recital, with my very dear friend Julia. She was an amazing pianist, and I figured that if I played with her it would make me look better. We were doing a particularly difficult piece for our final hurrah, and so we were practicing together a few times a week. I had a question for her at school one day, and so I went to find her. As I walked up to her hangout spot I was able to witness her being asked to prom. The only thing was that she was asked by another female. I suddenly had a knot in my stomach. I wasn't going to be able to just shrug this one off. Julia was a very dear friend, and someone I associated with regularly. And yet, I had no idea what to do. <br />
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I was at a church dance. In the Lancaster/Palmdale area, there are 18 LDS dances each year. It's a little overkill I think, but I still went to most. At this dance I was hanging out with a group of friends. One of them, a young man I'll call Jimmy, began to tell a story about scout camp. He recounted how there was a scout in one of the other troops that acted like he was gay. Jimmy told how this scout tried to talk to him, and the scout may have said some things that hinted even more toward his homosexuality. Jimmy then let out a slur of derogatory comments, and while others in the group chuckled, I was filled with anger. <br />
This was another big development in my mental process, of figuring out how I really felt. I truly believe that had I not been good friends with Julia, I might have been chuckling with the other insensitive jerks in the circle. <br />
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One final experience I'd like to mention is the biggest one of all. By this time I was a freshman at Brigham Young University. I loved it there, but still had a lot of friends back home that I liked to keep in touch with. One young woman in particular, I would talk to a lot. We were skyping one night and the discussion of homosexuals came up. I laid out my feelings on the issue and the next words she said were, "Don't hate me, but I have a girlfriend." I almost cried. Not because she was attracted to the same gender, but because she began with, "Don't hate me". This was the defining moment for me. <br />
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After all these experiences, I still stand by my faith. I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. However, my goal is to create a circumstance where I can have that belief, without having my gay friends start a sentence with, "Don't hate me..." It may not be possible to reach that fully, and I understand that. It's not fair for me to say, "I think your relationship with the one you love is sinful, but don't hate me!" I have a wonderful friend Natalie who is very open minded. I showed her a video that explained why I believe being vegetarian is better for you, and she disagreed. But instead of arguing with me, she decided to remove meat from her diet for a few weeks. What a perfect example, of walking a mile in someone else's shoes. Sadly I can't be attracted to men for a few weeks. There is no way to tell my homosexual friends that I fully understand their perspective. I don't, and I never will. <br />
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I am preparing to serve for two years as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As a missionary, we have principles that we are supposed to teach . The very first and most basic principle in the LDS faith, the one that is told to every missionary to be the foundation of our message, is that we have a loving Heavenly Father. Truly thinking about that really astounds me. I'm going to ask any readers that are not Mormon to pretend that you believe the LDS Church is true, therefore agreeing that our system of teaching is inspired by God. So God told us that the very first principle we teach, the core of our message is that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He didn't teach us that we have an all-powerful Heavenly Father, not that we have a perfect Heavenly Father, but that we have a LOVING Heavenly Father. If our goal is to be perfect, and become like God, and He feels that his most important characteristic is that He's loving, then what does that say about how important it is for us?<br />
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I can't recall everything I've ever said to my gay friends, I know I haven't hid my beliefs, but I want them to know that I love them. I hope they know that, and I feel they do. The couple stories I shared, I got permission to share, and they were more than happy to let me talk about them in this post. It made me so happy. They know what I believe, where I stand on the issue, but they did not doubt me one bit when I told them I was writing a blog post about homosexuality. They were excited to see what I say, and I believe it's because they can somehow understand that I love them. Like I said earlier, I know it's not possible to ask them to not hate me for my beliefs, because they have every reason to, and yet they don't hate me. If they are able to love me as someone who so strongly condemns their love, then what excuse does any straight Mormon have for not loving homosexuals? There is no excuse. <br />
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Mark 12: 28-31<br />
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<span class="verse" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">28 </span>¶And one of the <span style="color: black;">scribes</span> came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7544266744921637006" name="29" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><span class="verse" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">29 </span>And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments <span class="clarityWord" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is,</span> <a class="footnote" href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/12?lang=eng&query=love+thy+neighbor+thyself#" id="footnote12" rel="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/chapter/footnote/default.xqy?lang=eng&volumeUri=nt&bookUri=mark&chapterUri=12&noteID=29a" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">Hear</span></a>, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7544266744921637006" name="30" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><span class="verse" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">30 </span>And thou shalt <span style="color: black;">love</span> the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this <span class="clarityWord" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is</span> the first commandment.</div>
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<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7544266744921637006" name="31" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><span class="verse" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31 </span>And the second <span class="clarityWord" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is</span> like, <span class="clarityWord" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">namely</span> this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.</div>
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Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7544266744921637006.post-1635098769783174862012-09-11T21:41:00.004-07:002012-09-11T21:41:39.187-07:00FYI<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">FYI. A three letter abbreviation of "For your information." It's often used when correcting people or clearing up misconceptions. "You're stupid" "I got all A's FYI" but then I thought, what if I used it randomly, as an ice breaker. I could go up to someone and say "FYI </span></span><span style="font-family: Century Gothic,Technical,Tempus Sans ITC,Gaze,Kids,Comic Sans MS,Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karoke means 'empty orchestra' in Japanese." Normally one would be inclined to ask why you randomly walked up to them and shared this random fact but with our new way of looking at FYI it solves that. You start off by telling them why, it's for their information! I mean hey, it's not "For your benefit" or "For your interests" and information is such a general word that the options are limitless.</span></span></span>Kenneth Hermansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211593981734893333noreply@blogger.com0