Pornography

Pornography:

“Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife.”- Elder Packer, Cleansing the Inner Vessel, Conference October 2010

“Remember that those young wives said their husbands’ infidelity began with an attraction to pornography, but immoral activity is not just a man’s problem, and husbands aren’t the only ones offending.”-Elder Holland, April 2010

“That caution pertains to pornography, which is highly addictive. In time, addictions enslave both the body and the spirit. Full repentance from addiction is best accomplished in this life, while we still have a mortal body to help us.”-Elder Nelsen, October 1998

 “For the most part it is simply a matter of self-discipline not to go where pornography is likely to be found—physically or electronically.”-Elder Christofferson, Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings, Liahona, January 2012

“Our task to defend the family is not an easy one. Trends in the world diminish the significance of the family. Sadly, the sacred powers of procreation are desecrated by many people. And the divinely designed nature of marital intimacy is tarnished by the addictive, pernicious, and poisonous plague of pornography.”-Elder Nelson, The Doctrinal Importance of Marriage and Children, Broadcast, January 2012

“Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on earth.”-Elder Scott, To Acquire Spiritual Guidance, Conference October 2009

“Pornography, in particular, is a weapon of mass moral destruction. Its impact is at the forefront in eroding moral values.”-Elder Cook, Let there Be Light!, Conference October 2010

“There is also great concern about some of the pernicious, addictive behaviors like gambling and evil pornography that are so personally destructive and so rampant in our society. Remember, brothers and sisters, any kind of addiction is to surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent.”-Elder Ballard, O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One, Conference October 2010

“Avoid the deadly poisons of pornography and narcotics. If these are in your life, beware! If allowed to continue, they can destroy you. Talk to your parents; talk to your bishop. They will know how to help you.”-Elder Packer, Counsel to Young Men, Conference April 2009

“I am sure the Lord loves and blesses husbands and wives who lovingly try to help spouses struggling with such deep problems as pornography or other addictive behavior or with the long-term consequences of childhood abuse.”-Elder Oaks, Divorce, Conference April 2007

Position Statement:

            Pornography, in my opinion, should be made a curse word. What a vile thing, what a horrid thing, something that can ensnare the minds of thousands and destroy the homes of millions. What is it that is so alluring about pornography that makes men and sometimes women draw away from their loved ones until they are lost in a dark abyss from which they cannot be saved? Thankfully there is the Atonement that allows those caught in the snare to repent and return to the straight and narrow path. Thankfully there are leaders of our church that can be turned to and relied upon to assist in the rehabilitation. 

Agency

Agency:

“As we learn in these scriptures, the fundamental purposes for the gift ofagency were to love one another and to choose God. Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.”-Elder Bednar, February Ensign 2012

“As Latter-day Saints, however, we are to use our moral agency and utilize our opportunities for growth. Everyone has weaknesses. The adversary knows the Achilles’ heel of your loved ones, your friends, your roommates, your brothers and sisters, and your parents. Do you understand your Achilles’ heel?”-Elder Hales, September 2011

“When we use the term moral agency, we are appropriately emphasizing the accountability that is an essential part of the divine gift of agency. We are moral beings and agents unto ourselves, free to choose but also responsible for our choices”.-Elder Christofferson, June 2009

“Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.”^- Elder Hales, October 2010

“Moral agency is a vital element in our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness. He understood that some of His spirit children would use that agency improperly, causing serious problems to others.”-Elder Scott, April 2008

“If you are slipping into things that you should not slip into or if you are associating with people who are pulling you away in the wrong direction, that is the time to assert your independence, your agency. Listen to the voice of the Spirit, and you will not be led astray”.-Elder Packer, Counsel to Youth, October Conference 2011

“Agency—our power to choose—is fundamental to the gospel plan that brings us to earth. God does not intervene to forestall the consequences of some persons’ choices in order to protect the well-being of other persons—even when they kill, injure, or oppress one another—for this would destroy His plan for our eternal progress.”-Elder Oaks, Love and Law, Conference October 2009

“The War in Heaven was fought after Satan said that he would force everyone to obey his ideas. That was rejected. As a result, we have our moral agency and the freedom to choose our course in this life. But we also are accountable for that agency.” –Elder Cook, Stewardship-A sacred trust, Conference October 2009

“The voice of the Lord is clear and unmistakable. He knows you. He loves you. He wants you to be eternally happy. But according to your God-given agency, the choice is yours.”-Elder Ballard, Learning Lesson’s of the Past, Conference April 2009

“We were given our agency.  We must use it wisely and remain close to the Spirit; otherwise, we foolishly find ourselves yielding to the enticements of the adversary. We know that through the Atonement of Jesus our mistakes can be washed clean, and our mortal body will be restored to its perfect frame.”-Elder Packer, Prayer and Promptings, Conference October 2009

Position Statement:

            Agency, what a concept. It is over agency that a third of the host of heaven was lost in a great war, it was agency that allows us to chose for ourselves to come to this earth and go through the trials of a mortal life, it is agency that Christ had to take the bitter cup and atone for our sins so that we may be clean. Where would we be without agency, I don’t think that there is any mind that can comprehend what it would be like, and thankfully we will never have to worry about such a thing as long as we are willing to follow the commandments and covenants given to us by the Lord, otherwise we slowly lose our agency and give to the hands of Satan. 

Atonement

Atonement:

“Because of the Lord’s Atonement, resurrection (or immortality) became a reality.13 Because of the Atonement, eternal life became a possibility for all who would qualify.” –Elder Nelson, Thanks Be to God, Conference April 2012

“When we make mistakes, as we transgress and sin, we can repent and become clean through the redeeming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”-Elder Bednar, April 2012

“Should choices be wrong, they can be rectified through repentance. When its conditions are fully met, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, provides a release from the demands of justice for the errors made. It is wondrously simple and so incomparably beautiful.”-Elder Scott, April 2012

“Ultimately, it is His Atonement and His grace that is our daily bread. We should seek Him daily, to do His will each day, to become one with Him as He is one with the Father.” –Elder Christofferson, January 2012

You have been taught at home and in seminary about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement is like an eraser. It can wipe away guilt and the effect of whatever it is that is causing you to feel guilty.-Elder Packer, How to Survive in Enemy Territory, Conference April  2012

“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is comprehensive, universal, merciful, and true. Following the necessary experience of mortal life, all sons and daughters of God will be resurrected and go to a kingdom of glory more wonderful than any mortals can comprehend. … All of this will occur because of God’s great love for His children, and it is all made possible because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, “who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands” (D&C 76:43). –Elder Oaks, The Only True and Living Church, Seminar, August 2011

“It is the miracle of forgiveness; it is the miracle of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you cannot do it without an active commitment to the gospel, and you cannot do it without repentance where it is needed.”-Elder Holland, We Are All Enlisted, Conference October 2011

“Some will make critically serious mistakes, transgressing the laws of the gospel. Here it is time to remind you of the Atonement, repentance, and complete forgiveness to the point that you can become pure again.”-Elder Packer, Counsel to Youth,  Conference October 2011

“Our Father in Heaven is a loving father with a plan that blesses each of His children. Jesus Christ is our Savior, and His Atonement is the seminal event in all history.”-Elder Cook, Devotional, March 2012

“The literal meaning of the English word Atonement is self-evident: at-one-ment, the bringing together of things that have been separated or estranged. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was indispensable because of the separating transgression, or Fall, of Adam, which brought two kinds of death into the world when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”-Elder Holland, The Atonement of Christ, Liahona, March 2008

Position Statement:

            The Atonement given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest gift given by any person that has lived or will live on this earth. Too many people today, in the church, take this gift for granted. I know I am guilty of this at times, but as many others; it is my wish to one day be as perfect as Christ. Because of the atonement I have been given the opportunity to perfect myself and repent of the sins which I commit every single day. I am most grateful for the atonement, if I did not have the knowledge that I could repent and be forgiven of my past so that I may fix my future, I would be a wondering lost soul. Another reason why I will always strive to be worthy of this atonement, is that I get to be with my husband forever, under the Lord, and will never be separated from him again now or ever. 

Quotes by our living Apostles

Family:

“From the very beginning the Lord has established the importance of the family organization for us”-Elder Perry, The Importance of Family, Conference April 2003

“The miracle of unity is granted to us as we pray and work for it. Our hearts will be knit together in unity.”-President Eyring, Conference October 2008

“Marriage and family are ordained of God. The family is the most important social unit in time and in eternity.”- Elder Russell M. Nelson, Thanks be to God, Conference April 2012

“Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness are marriage and the family. Their lofty significance is underscored by Satan’s relentless efforts to splinter the family and to undermine the significance of temple ordinances, which bind the family together for eternity. The temple sealing has greater meaning as life unfolds. It will help you draw ever closer together and find greater joy and fulfillment in mortality.”-Elder Richard G. Scott, April Conference 2012

“I am grateful for selfless parents who—perhaps for a lifetime—care for a challenged child, sometimes with more than one challenge and sometimes with more than one child. I am grateful for children who close ranks later in life to give back to ill or aging parents.”-Elder Holland, Conference October 2010

“And, of course, societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything else is effect.”- M. Russell Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, Conference April 2012

“The Nephites were determined to protect their families. As I read that story, I decided that no matter what, I wanted to have that same purpose in my life, to fight for family.”- Neil A. Anderson, The Book of Mormon: Strengthening Our Faith in Jesus Christ, Liahona October 2011

 

“This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost draws people to identify, document, and cherish their ancestors and family members—both past and present.”-Elder Bednar, The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn, Conference October 2011

“My dear brothers and sisters, may your homes be filled with love and courtesy and with the Spirit of the Lord. Love your families. If there are disagreements or contentions among you, I urge you to settle them now.”-President Monson, As We Close This Conference, Conference April 2012

“While Lehi’s vision includes all people, the culminating doctrinal concept is the eternal significance of the family.”- Elder Quentin L. Cook, In Tune with the Music of Faith, Conference April 2012

Position Statement:

            When it comes to family I believe that it is one of the most central and important aspects of this church. The family is the central unit of this gospel and it is what leads us through the Plan of Happiness. Without a family we wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to this earth and receive a body. Not only that, but we would be alone; we would not have someone to lean or turn to for comfort. The Lord has blessed us with families so that we may be the happiest that we can be, especially if that family is living the commandments of God and is teaching their children to do the same. The aspect of the family needs to be protected at all costs, especially with the way the world views the family today. If we do not continue to uphold the gospel and the commandments given to us, the family will diminish into something of history and the world will become a very evil and scary place.

La de dah!

So I have to turn this blog into a class assignment. Don't worry it's a cool assignment. I've been taking a Teachings of the Living Prophets class and have learned TONS! The project I'm working on is gathering quotes from all the current apostles and our beloved Prophet, on certain topics given to us in class and other topics we chose for ourselves.
I hope you guys will like it. It might take me awhile to get this up and going and looking nice. I have to say that blogging is still an odd thing for me and will have to learn the basics all over again.
Woot woot!
Well as I have the last few posts I'm going to put a random picture on here.
YUP
That is all

Hmmmm....

So I've been trying to figure out this whole blog thing and why it is I still have it. I have come to the conclusion that it's because I have no good reason to get rid of it. There you have it.
I am currently groggy from a nap too long and from the six days a week of working in the morning and most nights. I'm not complaining, I love my job, it's just wearing me out a bit with certain hours. What scares me some is that I start school in a month.........I had to plan my classes around my work schedule so things will be interesting. The nice thing is, I'm graduating! YAY! Well after this semester I will and it's only temporary. My goal is to become a CNA over the summer and work as much as I can, then reapply and try for the nursing program which is INCREDIBLY difficult to get into, so here's crossed fingers to inspiration helping along the way.
I will now post a random picture hopefully for the enjoyment of others.

0_o

Wow, it's been a long time hasn't it!
Now I'm at the start of my third year in college and life couldn't be any better!
I am married and living in Rexburg where it's cold and snowing, but we're having so much fun!!!
A requirement of my father when I got married is that we had to take my dog Shenaue with us, so it was a little stressful finding a house that allowed dogs but we found one. We're renting a nice little house with a large back yard that we and Shenaue love to play in and our ward is awesome.
Well, I know this is a short post, but I has lots and lots of homework to do for tomorrow.

Hope this finds whoever is reading is safe and happy!

As Deanna would say: "Night Ya'll!!"