Past Timeless Thoughts

Vital Statistics

-Did you know that Coco Cola was originally green and had cocaine in it?

-Did you know that an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain?

-Did you know that there is no word in the English language that rhymes with orange…or silver?

-Did you know that Barbie has a last name?  It’s Roberts.

-Did you know that on the one-dollar bill there is an owl?  It’s in the top right corner.

-Did you know that a female praying mantis chews her partner’s head off during mating?

-Did you know it takes 3000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs?

There is so much information available in the world today.  But it isn’t all of equal value.  Some of it is interesting.  Some of it is even important.  But some of it is vital!  The knowledge that is vital is contained in our Standard Works.

Did you set a goal for 2013 to study your scriptures?
We hope so!

Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for “a man is saved no faster than he [gains] knowledge,” [Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:588.]  DC 131:6 tells us it is impossible to be saved in ignorance.

My daughter Alisa reminded me of this great quote by Marion G. Romney:  “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67).

These are amazing promises!

The word my daughter likes is permeate.  I used to make chili sauce every summer with the ripe tomatoes from the garden.  My kids swore they could smell it before they even walked in the house.  In fact, they said their hair and clothes and even the towels in the bathroom reeked of it.  That’s permeate!

What permeates your time, your home, your life?  Is it the vital truths of the scriptures?

~ Sister Pat Barton

D&C 130:18-19  “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.”

 

ScriptureKIT^TM Books 1 and 2 Installed

 

These photos are of different sizes and styles of scriptures with ALL of the pages from ScriptureKIT Book 1 and Book 2 installed.

Some have wondered what the effect of adding pages to their scriptures would be.  As you can see, there isn’t a problem.

We would like to emphasize our recommendation to use the

Large Print Size Bible and Triple Combination

for your scripture study.  Click here to see a short video about why we recommend this set of scriptures.

 

You can click on the photos to enlarge them.

Nothing

One year while I was Christmas shopping, I came across the weirdest thing I have ever seen.  

 It was nothing.  Literally nothing!

It was a piece of cardboard packaging with a clear plastic “bubble” sticking out of it that contains nothing. Technically, I guess there is something in there, but it is the same as what is outside of it—thin air.

Get this.  It cost $10! TEN DOLLARS FOR NOTHING! (It’s “nothing” for something!)

I couldn’t believe it!

Look!  Here is the picture of nothing…..

I guess some suckers are buying it.  After all, it may be the perfect gift for the guy or gal who already has everything.

You know where this is going.  Right?

Isaiah 55:8-9:  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

The Christmas season is always the busiest time of year.  Most of us work hard to make it a wonderful holiday for our families but sometimes what we do and what we buy fails to satisfy the deepest spiritual longings of our hearts.  What God offers us now and all year long we can buy “without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1)

“Something” for nothing!

SO much better than a package of nothing!

P.S. I found “nothing” on sale this year for the bargain price of $6.28!

 

~ Sister Pat Barton

 

Think to Thank

I tended three of my grandkids last week while their parents were out of town.  For Family Home Evening on Monday night I said:  “Who wants to be glorious?” They all said they did so I quoted this scripture to them.

D & C 78:19 – “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

I asked them what they thought the word glorious meant.  One of them said, “Awesome in every way.”  Sounded good to me.

Then we talked about what it meant to receive all things with thankfulness, …not just the good things but even the challenging aspects of our lives.  After that we wondered about and discussed the things of this earth that might be “added unto” us…..and what else besides those things would constitute the “yea, more” part of the scripture.

I asked:  “Is God telling us to say thank you to Him or do you think more than that is required?”  We decided that truly taking the time to notice and appreciate the many miracles of our lives is wonderful. Acknowledging that it all comes from God is also important.  Acting on our gratitude by serving others is even better.

As we started to work on memorizing the scripture I told them they should try saying some prayers of gratitude this month and just thank God for some of the things we don’t usually think to thank him for.  Leave out all the “please bless this and please bless that.”

As I put my 8-year old grandson to bed, I listened to his prayer of thanks.  He did a great job!  He said thanks for their home, his bedroom, his bed, warm blankets and a pillow. But I really knew he had taken the lesson to heart when he said, “Thank you for the trees and the leaves and the carbon dioxide they get and the oxygen they give so we can breathe.” J I almost laughed out loud!

(Somewhere there’s a second or third grade teacher who would be very pleased to know that one of her students remembers something she taught him!)

But he had the right spirit!  There are so many blessings, and  “Ordinary Miracles” that happen in our lives every day that we take for granted.  Sarah McLachlan sings a song by that name. You can listen to it on YouTube – click here.

 

Some of the lyrics say:

It’s not that unusual when everything is beautiful.

It’s just another ordinary miracle today.
The sky knows when it’s time to snow.

Don’t need to teach a seed to grow.

It’s just another ordinary miracle today.
Life is like a gift they say – wrapped up for you everyday.

Open up and find a way to give some of your own.
Isn’t it remarkable …like every time a raindrop falls?

It’s just another ordinary miracle today.
Birds in winter have their fling…will always make it home by spring….

Sun comes up and shines so bright

And disappears again at night.

It’s just another ordinary miracle today.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

 

~ Sister Pat Barton

Veteran’s Day

Like many of you, my thoughts have dwelt on our veterans this weekend.  Two stories in particular have touched my heart.  These men may not have crossed your mind, but to me – they are the perfect representation of a Veteran of this great land.

The first soldier is a man of fearless dedication to his country.  As a soldier and leader in his part of the military, he fought and prayed many days for the freedom and liberty of those who stood beside him and their family and friends back home.

At a particular low point, his group of soldiers were nearly destitute.  They had been fighting for weeks, had marched mile after mile and were cut off from supplies and relief troops.  The site before him was full of ragged men – hungry, exhausted and quickly loosing hope.

In a moment of desperation and anger this soldier rose and presented the flag.  He talked of home, family, freedom and the God who made it all possible.

His determination to protect freedom at any cost saved his men, encouraged others to join them and eventually defeated the enemy.

What was the flag he raised?  We know it as the Title of Liberty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second story is from desertlocalnews.com (click here for the original article).

“You might remember a news story several months ago about a crotchety old man who defied his homeowners association and refused to take down the flagpole on his property and the large flag that flew on it. Now you can find out who, exactly, that old man was.

On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg — probably didn’t make much news back then.   Twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy, Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the US Army in 1940, set out to flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.

If that wasn’t enough for a day’s work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.

That probably didn’t make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a colonel after also serving in Korea and Vietnam, a Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news was a neighborhood association’s quibble with how the 90-year-old  veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot’s 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable.

He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn’t take it down. Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.

“In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference,”  Barfoot told The Associated Press.   As well he should.  And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he’s not real good at backing down.

Van T. Barfoot’s Medal of Honor citation:

This 1944 Medal of Honor citation, listed with the National Medal of Honor Society, is for Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry:

A Real Hero Has Died….
VanT. Barfoot died at the age of 92 on 2 March 2012.”

 

Both Moroni and Mr. Barfoot used a flag to inspire patriotism.  Symbolism is a powerful way to remind us to continually align our lives with the Lord and righteousness.

All history tells us that valiant people have defended their homelands and their freedoms.  Are we doing our part?

 

Alma 46:12-13: “And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it – In memory of our God, our religion, , and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children – and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. . . and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land”

~ Sister Tiffany Birrell

 

Zion—or a feather bed?

Many Saints were migrating to Zion, which had been established in what is now known as “Utah.” So anxious were we all to join the Saints, that we were willing to accept any kind of transportation, to make the trip. Just at this time, the “Handcart Method” had been adopted and we were grateful for even this mode of transportation to travel. We expected the handcarts to be ready, but they were not. We were delayed in Iowa City. Handcarts had to be made, supplies gathered, oxen caught and broken to pull the heavy supply wagons, everything that even hinted of being a luxury, must be eliminated. There were many keepsakes that I wanted to take, but couldn’t. But there was one thing I didn’t consider a luxury and that was my feather-bed. I had hung onto that beloved item from the time of the auction in England and now clearly there was no room for it. It wouldn’t be bad to walk 1300 miles if one had a feather-bed to sleep on at night, but no matter how I folded it, it was too bulky. Wouldn’t it be just wonderful I thought, if I could deflate it in the morning and inflate it at night, so it would pack compactly. But a feather-bed is a feather-bed and when it came to choosing between Zion and a feather-bed, well it was a little too late to turn my back on Zion, so I ripped it open and emptied the feathers on the ground and used the tick to cover the supplies on the handcart.1

LINE UPON LINE

by President Joseph F. Smith

“As a boy … , I would frequently go out and ask the Lord to show me some marvelous thing, in order that I might receive a testimony. But the Lord withheld marvels from me, and showed me the truth, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he made me to know the truth from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and until doubt and fear had been absolutely purged from me. … By the whisperings of the still small voice of the Spirit of the living God, he gave to me the testimony I possess. And by this principle and power he will give to all the children of men a knowledge of the truth that will stay with them, and it will make them to know the truth, as God knows it, and to do the will of the Father as Christ does it” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939], p. 7).

2 Nephi 28:30  “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.”

Doctrine and Covenants 98:12 “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.”

~ Sister Tiffany Birrell

The King of the Jews

This excerpt is taken from ScriptureKIT Book 1 Information Pages (IP).

 

IP-16

” ‘At the time of the Savior’s birth, Israel was ruled by alien monarchs.  The rights of the royal Davidic family were unrecognized; and the ruler of the Jews was an appointee of Rome.  Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’  (JC, 86-87)”

 

IP-16 can be inserted into your scriptures on page 1278 of the New Testament.

 

Luke 3:23-38

~ Brother Bruce Barton

The Law of the Mall

You know about God’s Law of the Harvest, right?  We reap what we sow. When we sow, we prepare the ground to receive the seed. We plant the seed and then water and fertilize . . . weed, water, wait . . . weed, water, wait . . . weed, water, wait . . . for a long time until the seed grows and then finally the harvest comes.

But in our day, we seem to want to live by the Law of the Mall—“I see it, I want it, I’m getting it! NOW!”
Instant gratification. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t have the money.  Use your credit card! Everything about our day is fast!  Fast food!  Breaking news!  Fast cars! Communication at our very fingertips!  We get impatient when we have to wait for anything.

Does the Lord work that way?  Not usually.

Why not?

Isn’t there more to be gained when we work for something over a period of time?  We value the things we give our effort to.  The things of the spirit are valuable, godly even, and not to be trifled with or disrespected or unappreciated.  God needs to see how badly we want those things.  Are we willing and patient enough to plant the seed in our heart then water, weed and wait . . . “wait upon the Lord.”

Choose ye this day which law you want to follow.

God’s harvest is not now.  But it will be worth the wait!

Scripture references to sowing and reaping

2 Kings 19:29: “This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.”

Job 4:8: “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”

Psalms 126:5: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

Proverbs 22:8: “He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.”

Hosea 10:12: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

John 4:36: “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.”

2 Corinthians 9:6: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

DC 6:33: “Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.”

~ Sister Pat Barton