Closing Remarks

www.lds.org

Well, it's just about over. This semester has been one of great worth and I have learned so much more than I ever anticipated.

I would like to take this time and space that I have created to share my personal testimony on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It is the world of God and exactly what He wants us to know in this day and age. We have so many people struggling to find the truth around us, and we are blessed enough to have a paper with everything we need to know about the family, raising children, and how we should treat our spouses. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always watches out over us to make sure, if we are paying attention, that we have all the help that we need.

I'm grateful for the chance that I took on this class in taking it because I have learned so much more, not just about the proclamation, but about myself as well. Through meeting with my group each and every week, I gained not only new insights, but new friends.

I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I know that the family is the preferred unit of God and that if we listen to the prophets and heed their council, we will be blessed and happy.

I leave this testimony in the name of my Lord, Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, amen.

Chapter 32

The Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious Part of the Plan of Salvation 

by: Daniel K. Judd

emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com

This is the last chapter I will cover and one of the last of this wonderful book.

When we think about the term 'Eternal Family' usually we are given the analogy of a circle. There is no beginning, there is no middle, and there is no end. There is no top, no bottom. 

Even though it is, sadly, impossible for us to be able to understand this concept now, we need to keep this in mind so that one day when we are capable to comprehend it, we will have that and enjoy the happiness forever. 

But if we mess up now when we don't understand it, then one day when we do understand it we will be super upset and wish that a lot of things were different.

Judd makes some great statments in this chapter. He talks about Heavenly Father and how when he created His plan, it was perfect. His plan actually still is perfect, but we have the choice to do whatever we want. This led to the Fall of Adam and Eve. 

I love this story because of new insight that I have received through going to the Temple and there pondering and praying. 

Our destiny is to become like unto our Father, or in other words, become Gods ourselves. We need to try to to our best to grow up to be as our Father is so that we can have all that He hath and have the same happiness as well. Because He is perfect, that also means that His happiness is perfect. I, for one, would do anything to have perfect happiness. 

The atonement, of course, is the most important thing to ever happen on the face of the earth. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for us so that we are able to repent of our sins and be made whole through Him.

Because of the restoration, not reformation, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can now be married in a Temple of God for time and all eternity. This is the ultimate happiness that we want to achieve in this life. Luckily, I married up! 

I find that the Plan of Salvation ties in with The Family: A Proclamation to the World 100%. We need both in our lives. We need to study and understand both as much as possible, and we need to have testimonies of both. 

Chapter 29

The Proclamation: A Guide, a Banner, and a Doctrinal Summary

 of the Church's Emphasis on the Family

by: Lloyd D. Newell

One of the many reasons I love this Church is because that everything we do, we do to make life better for ourselves as well as others. 

Newell starts off this chapter by saying, "The Family: A Proclamation To The World has been used wisely and widely since President Gordon B. Hinckley first announced it on September 23, 1995, at the annual general Relief Society meeting. As the name suggests, it is addressed to all the world: all nations, all faiths, all families. It continues to be a light in a darkening world and a bulwark in defense of the family. Elder M. Russell Ballard (2005) called the proclamation 'a clarion call to protect and strengthen values and misplaced priorities threaten to destry society by undermining its basic unit.'"

The proclamation is the word of God, and being such, is scripture to all people of all nations of all races, of all sexual orientations everywhere in the world. Gods law is not the law of man, but a higher law that is no respecter of persons. If we don't obey it, we all will suffer the same consequences. 

I leave this post with another quote from Dan Roberts who is a former bishop from the Alpine Utah North Stake. 

"While serving as bishop I continually referred to the proclamation in my talks, in my meetings with the adults and youth, and in my counseling with ward members. I always felt that if I could just get our members to really internalize the principles of the proclamation, they would have the answers they needed and the pathway to a happy family life. The proclamation is truth, and I've seen its truth and power change lives."

I know that if we will all try to implement the proclamation into our own lives, we can have the same type of testimony that Dan Roberts is already enjoying. 

Chapter 26

An LDS Family Law Professor's 

Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage

by: Lynn D. Wardle

www.nomorestrangers.org 

This could be a very tender subject for some, but not for me! I have my opinions that are very strong on this topic because I know what the latter day prophets have said and I know the will of God for the family in these days. 

Charles Reid is quoted in this chapter and I'll share the quote just because I love the verbage of the quote.

"The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundation for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. the family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society."

God is very specific when it comes to this subject. He has left no room for doubt, but somehow people are still defying Him. We read,

 "WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

So, what do we learn from this? Marriage is between one MAN and one WOMAN. That is the only way that it is ordained of God. 

This chapter is great, but that's really all that needs to be said.

Chapter 20

Repentance and Forgiveness in Family Life

by: Elaine Walton and Hilary M. Hendricks

www.tillhecomes.org

Repentance is something often preached about in church, but how about in our own families? This chapter touched me the most in class because we were posed a question that went along the lines of, what is the thing that someone in your family could do that would be the hardest to forgive. Of course, most people said that betrayal or cheating/adultery would be the hardest thing to forgive.

After thinking about this for some time, I find that my testimony has grown even more because of the feeling that I've felt on this subject. Jesus never committed these sins,  but He suffered for all of them. I have a hard time admitting that I could forgive someone for doing something like this to me, but He has already forgiven all those who have, are, or will commit this most grievous sin. He truly is amazing.

Walton and Hendricks do a great job in this chapter of talking about forgiveness and then putting it to the family level. They share that it's an interactive process that takes more time than we usually want to take. I've found this is true, especially when it involves forgiving those closest to us.

Something that my mother has always tied in with repentance is improvement. Repenting and then improving is something that we always need to do, because, as the authors stated, it's not repentance if your going to just do it again and again and again. 

Chapter 11

Parenting in Gospel Context: Practices Do Make a Difference

by: David A. Nelson

whatthebeepamidoing.com

I've heard a saying for a long time that says, "Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent." I always liked this saying and thought that it made great sense. When we practice, we just do the same thing over and over and over and over again. This just ensures that you are doing it the same way every time, but what if you're doing it wrong every time? 

Nelson says, "The family proclamation makes clear that Heavenly Father expects parents to have significant influence in the lives of their children. God's plan for His children may be ideally characterized as the placement of children into homes where parents are committed to their development and proclamation principles are practiced. No other arrangement is as effective, as demonstrated by the First Presidency's call to parents ... 'to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying forward this God-given responsibility...'"

In this chapter, Nelson talks about parenting styles vs practices and it's great to be able to see the difference. I don't have kids yet, but this chapter will come in handy when I start to grow my family! The major difference I saw was that several practices go in together to make up your style. 

I will try to base my parenting style, and life style, after my Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. He always helped others and cared for them unconditionally. I think that anyone who treats their children like this and teaches them to do the same, will be a great parent in the eyes of the Lord. 

Chapter 33

Drawing Specific Inspiration from the Proclamation

by: E. Jeffrey Hill

mormonapologeticstudies.org

In this chapter, the author chooses to teach us through a story and not by research or any other teaching method. The story starts of with Hill telling us about the first time that he heard The Family: A Proclamation to the World. His story is great, and I would like to have one like it, because I don't really ever remember not knowing about the proclamation. 

Hill goes on to share an experience on how he came with a story to send in to the ensign. It is inspiring how accomplished he is and I would love to do a lot of the same things as him. I, too, enjoy writing and would like to be able to submit something to the Ensign, but we will see if that ever happens. 

This chapter was a great testimony builder as it was full of rich stories and experiences that helped me understand his personal conversion even better and the tool that The Family: A Proclamation to the World can be in the conversion of others. 

Chapter 7

The Warm, Happy Marriage: Cold, Hard Facts to Consider

by: Elizabeth VanDenBerghe and Alan J. Hawkins

Under, "The Benefits", section of this chapter, it is quoted . . . "'Marriage is sexless, boring, and oppressive,' declares the headline of a blogger who goes on to declare that marriage is failing people as an institution (marcotte, 2009, p.i)." 

Being a married man of nigh on 4 months now, I submit that this statement from a fellow blogger is complete and utter poppycock. Marriage is ANYTHING but boring. There are new adventures every day and, as long as you are willing to stick with each other through them, your bond as a couple gets stronger and you become closer.

I think that VanDenBerghe and Hawkins did a great job on this chapter especially including some research that I wasn't aware of. 

"...Contrary to soap-opera and tabloid mythology, research finds that married men and women typically remain faithful to each other ... And two economists who studied a random sample of 16,000 men and women in the United States further bolstered support for marital fidelity by establishing that the greatest happiness comes in a monogamous marital relationship..."

I was glad to see that this research had finally been done and that, to my surprise, people around the U.S.A. are the happiest when they are in a good marriage. 

Chapter 6

Honoring Marital Vows with Complete Fidelity 

by Scott Gardner and Christian Greiner 

nfidelity.org 

Unfortunately, infidelity is something that the world as a whole is having to deal with. No one particularly likes it, but it happens. One of the worst things I can think of would be finding out that my wife was cheating on me, but it is required of us to forgive everyone and then let the Lord decide who He will forgive. 

How could we ever repair a marriage after infidelity? 

www.outlish.com

That is a hard question for me, but luckily we have some suggestions from this great chapter. They are:

- Rebuilt trust

     - We need to become accountable and own up to what we've done. 

     - After telling all of the truths, you need to establish boundaries so that the same mistake does not 

       happen twice. 

- Gain Perspective

 

- Repentance and Forgiveness

     - We need to confess to the necessary parties so that we can start down repentance road.

     - We need to really decide in our hearts to stop whatever it is that we were, or are, doing wrong, and

        then we will be that much closer to forgiving ourselves. 

     - We should look to find forgiveness from those we have done wrong against, including ourselves.

     - Wee need to be able to forgive our spouse if it is the case that it happens to us. 

- Overcoming addiction 

    

- Making the choice to stay together 

     - Be able to discuss and admit that the bad things happened, but resolve to make amends and move

       on with life.

     - Strengthen the present and try to make your relationship more open and better than ever before. 

     - Look toward the future that you have together with your spouse and make goals to move forward

       with your lives together rather than continuing to live with fear and regret in your hearts. 

Chapter 5

Marital Sexuality and Fertility 

by James M. Harper and Leslie Feinauer

This chapter can be kind of taboo with a lot of people, especially in the church, so I was glad that they were able to include some thoughts about it. 

funylool.com

They pose an interesting questions that has some key points that I would like to touch on. The question is asked, "Marital sexuality serves for what?" The points that were listed are as follows:

- Becoming One

- Connecting with God 

- Strengthen emotional and spiritual bonds in marriage 

- Avoiding temptation 

- Rearing Children. 

Others outside of our faith might have some other thoughts on abstinence, but we, as members of the Lords true church, know that sexual relations are only to be had within the bond of matrimony. 

There is told an interesting story in the beginning of the chapter about a 13 year old daughter and her mother. They are laying in bed reading a book when the 13 year old asks, "mom, is sex better than candy?" I was very glad to hear that the mother responded as follows, "Oh yes, dear, with your husband in an eternal marriage, sex is far better than candy."

Sometimes we think that it is inappropriate to talk about sex. In some cases, it is. But in others, it should be allowed to be discussed and come from the right sources rather than the wrong ones. 

Kids should hear it from their parents, not the friend at school.

McCarthy and McCarthy put some attitudes in the chapter that, "help promote positive marital sexuality as including the beliefs that:

1. Sexual Interaction is a heathy component of marriage that need not be a source of negative feelings or guilt
2. Married persons deserve to feel good about their bodies and to view sexual expression as a normal, healthy part of their marriage.
3. A primary component of marital sexuality is giving and receiving pleasure-oriended touching in the context of an intimate, committed, and divinely supported relationship. As such, it requires relaxation and focus on the other person as well as on one's own pleasure.
4. Sexuality should be expressed in a way that enhances your intimate, marital relationship and bonds you together.
5. Couples should strive to create a "we" relationship, where both partners' sharing and pleasure is important as opposed to one persono individually focused on what she or he will get out of the experience."

Chapter 4

                                           

Equal Partnership between Men and Women in Families.

by Valerie M. Hudson and Richard B. Miller

        

This chapter seemed to be very important to everyone who is living on the earth in this day and age because this particular subject is getting thrown out the window more and more. Men and women are equal, but this chapter (and what I would like to share with y'all) helps us realize that equal and identical are NOT the same thing - not even close.


bartik.wordpress.com

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them the same commandments, not separate ones. He made them equals, but not identical. We, men and women, both have our separate, distinct, purposes, but that doesn't mean that we are all going to do the same things at exactly the same time or even in the same way. We have personalities because God wanted us to be different, but still equal.

Eve did partake of the fruit first, but that does in no way, shape, or form make her, or women, inferior or less than men. This chapter does a great job of helping us understand that Eve partook of the fruit out of wisdom and after much thought rather than just being weak and succumbing to the persuasion of the devil.

This chapter, on page 43, has an assessment to see where the power lies in the relationship. After pondering over the questions, I have a lot to change. This is what God intends for us to do. We need to learn about equality, and then do all we can to be equal partners in our relationships.

Chapter 2

The ABCs of Successful Romantic Relationship Development: Meeting, Dating, and Choosing an Eternal Companion 

by Thomas B. Holman, Fank Poulsen, and others.

This Chapter is really good for those of you who are single and have the 'green light' to get married. This chapter has everything you need to know about developing a relationship, but what's more simple than starting with the ABCs?

George Levinger made it easy for us and gave us the main 5 steps in a heterosexual relationship. They are:

A - Awareness of or Acquaintance with another person;
B - Buildup of the relationship
C - Continuation following Commitment to a long-term relationship (which may result in marriage for many couples)
D - Deterioration or Decline in the interdependence of the couple;
E - Ending of the relationship.

The chapter is wonderful and goes on to talk about how to deal with a breakup, what you should do, and mainly just that it is going to happen sometime, so we might as well deal with it the best we can and get over it so that we can find peace with ourselves and get on with life to find the one who we will never break up with.

                                                   

Chapter 1

Young Adulthood and Pathways to Eternal Marriage

by Jason S. Carroll 

Chapter 1 of our Textbook is titled, "Young Adulthood and Pathways to Eternal Marriage." Some might be eager to skip over it because they are already married, are more advanced in life, or simply think that they already know everything about the earlier stages of our lives and what we can do to lead ourselves to Eternal Marriage.

This chapter is by Jason S. Carroll and he has some great insights. He says at the very beginning, "Marriage...is ordained of God...God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife...Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan."

We find many of the same ideas and principles in, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", which was given to us by the church some years ago.

Carroll goes on to talk about the erosion of traditional dating and courtship and speaks of pessimism about marriage. Being a newly wed myself of 3 months, I can relate to this. People were always trying to give me advice while I was in my engagement period that marriage is super hard and we would both have to change who we were to be able to get along peacefully with the other. I've learned for myself that while living with someone else and sharing everything with them isn't the easiest task in the world, it certainly isn't hard. You get married because you love that person and respect them and want the best for them. If it isn't your desire to make things work with your spouse, don't get married to them!

Carroll also talks about the "disappearance of dating" and how young folk are always just going out to hang out and "hook up". I agree that as the years go by this is happening more and more. While LDS young single adults seems to get married at a younger age, on average, than most other people in the world, it seems to me that that 'young age' is getting to be older and older. I see young males get jobs and are comfortable with their lives and even though they might be ready for marriage and have a woman who they want to marry, they procrastinate because they are too comfortable being single and living without extra responsibility.

This chapter was great and filled with wonderful insights. I only touched on a few of them, but will remember the things I learned from Carroll's studies forever so that I will be able to teach my kids.

From Here On Out

From now until the beginning of December, I am going to be posting some ideas and outlines as well as quotes from the book I am using for my Family class, "Successful Marriage and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives." I have already made several comments and posts that have to do with several chapters of the text, but now I will be going more in depth with the things that I have read/am reading.

Does Marriage come with blessings?

• We are discussing the importance of proper dating practices prior to marriage. What are the blessings and benefits of courtship after marriage?

The blessings and benefits of courtship after marriage are too many to count. Each and every day that I have woken up after my wedding day has been the biggest blessing in my life so far, and I've been greatly blessed. While kneeling across the altar with my beautiful brides hand in mine, I was blessed with the knowledge that I was doing something eternal. I was, and am, blessed to have my sweetheart in my life forever and always as long as we remain faithful to the covenants that we've made. In a church manual in a chapter titled, Marriage: Covenants and Commitment, we read, "Marriage is a sacred covenant that requires love, commitment, and unity." Nothing could be more true. We need to love our spouse. 

After marriage, we grow in that love and become one as our Heavenly Father intended for us. We receive so many blessing after marriage, but my favorite, I think, has been the security and safety that I feel with my wife. We talk about everything. There are no secrets, and there's no one else in the world that I would rather have know everything about me. When you have that special someone and you make sacred vows and covenants with them, you never have to worry about who you're going to be with when you go somewhere, or who you can ask for help. As far as courtship goes, we try to have a date night at least once a week. During the events of this night, we can put away all of the troubles that we are having and work on our relationship. Doing this helps immensely as we have very busy schedules and sometimes don't get to see each other until it's time to go to sleep. It has been told to us by prophets and apostles that if we do this, then we will have a better marriage. 

My thoughts on children.

• Does is really matter whether we choose to become parents? Why or why not?

“There are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty?—To prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can.”

(Discourses of Brigham Young, Deseret Book Co., 1943, p. 197.)

What a silly question.. of COURSE it matters if we choose to become parents or not!!!! As The Family: A proclamation to the world says, "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity." This explicitly says that the children are entitled to this birth. Another instance that comes to mind is when our Heavenly Father gave the commandment to Adam and Eve to "multiply and replenish the earth". We need to do that as well. 

For instance, let's say that you are in Heaven right now and are anxiously awaiting your birth to be able to receive your body and start your mortal adventure, but the family that you are supposed to be born in, is currently debating the decision of having children. This means that your experiences will have to be prolonged, and opportunities possibly missed just because your future parents are debating the decision that shouldn't really be a decision. 

Don't get me wrong. There are appropriate times to have children, and it's not always by choice that we have them. There are many people in the world that have children that shouldn't, and many that do not have children that should. If everyone was perfect, the world wouldn't need to exist. In my perspective, I'm not ready to have a child. I've been married for 2 1/2 months, I have a long way to go in school and so does my wife. I do not feel like I would be able to be the best father I could be if my wife and I had a child right now, so we are waiting. To me it needs to be logical and discussed with our Father in Heaven as well. I have heard of many experiences when a mother or father (usually the mother) just feel like someone is missing from their family. 

Yes. It matters if we choose to have children or not. 

One of my new favorite talks

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/04/equal-partnership-in-marriage

Establishing a Christ-Centered Home

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/establishing-a-christ-centered-home?lang=eng&query=families+can+be+together+forever


                                                                         
                                                                             
click on the link above to read, or listen to, a wonderful talk by Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy.

Peter Moore

9/23/2013 11:28 PM

Korihor's philosophies are EVERYWHERE today. Common is an understatement. Why do we see them so much? Because satan has been here as long as man has and, unfortunately, will reside here for a while longer. Korihor and satan have the same idea. I believe that they both knew that they were wrong, but they continued to do the wrong thing because they convinced themselves that their habits were actually acceptable. I also believe that many people, including myself, tend to do that same thing. Oh what a dangerous thing it is to do. Rationalize that it's okay just once and then never again. Say that it's okay to experiment or go with it just because you think you're strong enough and it won't be a problem for you. I saw it time and time again on my mission and I continue to see it now each and every day. We cannot succumb to this awful temptation of rationalization because when we do, we start trying to convince others that we are right as well. Once we have ourselves fooled, we don't even realize that the lie continues on past where we could have ever imagined. Throughout each and every day of our lives, just because we are living here on the earth, we will go though this exact trial and temptation. We need to choose the right and overcome it every chance we get. If we don't, we have failed ourselves and possibly many others. That, my friends, is what Korihor loved. That, my friends, is one of satan's biggest weapons in these the latter days.

(Insert Name Here) 9/23/2013 9:24 PM What do believe Elder Oaks means when he discusses “the challenge to become?” What are you trying to become? How might this course help you to accomplish this?  “Many Bible and modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at which all persons will be rewarded according to their deeds or works or the desires of their hearts. But other scriptures enlarge upon this by referring to our being judged by the condition we have achieved.” Our final judgment is not just what we have done on earth, it is what we have become. It is our life as a whole. Has our heart been softened and turned towards the Lord? Have we done all that we can to become like Him? Is there anything else in our lives that is not in harmony of the Lord’s teachings? I believe this is what we are to become. We are to become like our Heavenly Father. Every person must go through a conversion process to become like Him. We must have a change of heart. We can learn a lot about a lot of things, but we must act upon what we learn in order to become more like our Heavenly Father and to return to live with Him. It’s like the song, “I am a Child of God.” Teach me all that I must do, to live with Him someday. It was change from “know” to “do.”  Knowing is not enough, we must show our love and act upon what we learned to become more like our Heavenly Father. ‘The Apostle Paul said that persons who have received the Spirit of God “have the mind of Christ.”’

Peter Moore 9/24/2013 5:57 PM You are so right! We were created to act and not to be acted upon, as we learn in the Book of Mormon. We need to learn the right things to do so that we can go and DO it! It doesn't help at all if you memorize the math book and then never take the test. You get an "F" if you don't preform the action and take the test. It is the same for us in life. We can study the scriptures, we can read talks, we can learn about God, but until we keep the commandments and show that we are going to give up our will for the will of the Father, nothing matters. Great thoughts about becoming and doing and not just being idle.

Here is another post that I commented on! (Insert Name Here) 9/23/2013 4:36 PM   I’ve found that Korihor’s philosophies are all over the world today. I’ve had countless conversations with people who try to convince me that my beliefs and views about God are skewed, and they always use these same methods that Korihor used to lead the people astray. I’ve always had a very hard time even defending my beliefs because they argue logically, and the only way I really knew how to argue was through faith and bearing my testimony. Now, I know that these methods aren’t bad necessarily, but a person who argues logically isn’t going to listen to a counterargument unless it employs methods that are intellectual. I have tried to refer to words of the prophets and apostles to help supplement my lack of knowledge, but then people accuse me of blindly following whatever these people say. I’m not a great arguer, so I find it difficult to catch people in logistical traps. The most common thing for me to do when someone challenges me on subjects like this is to simply tell them that I don’t know everything, but I do know that I have a testimony in my belief. I may not persuade people to my way of thinking, but I leave them in no doubt about what I believe. I found reading about Korihor from the perspective of modern day very enlightening. Understanding and using the counterarguments will really help me to at least plant a seed in the minds of those people who do not understand the truth about God.

Peter Moore 9/24/2013 10:18 AM   (Insert Name Here), I think everyone who reads your post will be able to relate to it. We all suffer trials and contention at times because we are a part of the true church restored on the earth! I find, through study of the scriptures, that things have always been harder for the followers of Christ, so why should we expect to be any different? It's a humbling thought and to me it serves as a bond for my fellow brothers and sisters in the church. I may not know them, but I do know that they have most likely gone through a lot of the same persecution that I have, and for that, I feel closer to them. I feel like I'm more open and likely to help them. Such is true of most anyone who has similar experiences with someone else. We should count our blessings though. We live in a time when, yes, persecution still exists, but we have so many members of the church (and many more to come). We are lucky and blessed to be able to say that we know, with all our heart, that we belong to the one true church of Christ and that weknow that He restored it on the earth once more.    I find that once you tell that to someone they tend to either stop arguing and just find a reason to leave the conversation, or become intrigued and want to know more.    Not being able to argue might be a gift rather than a curse! Good for you!

A post that I commented on in class.

(Insert Name Here) 9/22/2013 9:42 PM                 Each one of us is a child of God. We have great potential. I think the challenge for many of us is to remember this potential and to become what our father in heaven wants us to be. Sadly it can become too easy to get caught up in the views of the world and not rise to our potential. When I think about what I want to become, my biggest desire is to become a righteous mother and wife in Zion. I want to teach my children the principles of the gospel and to be there to support them and help them return back to their father in heaven. I want to be a faithful and virtuous wife to my eternal companion. I know that as I do these things I will be living a life that is pleasing to my father in heaven. I feel that this course will greatly help me accomplish this goal. As I learn more about the family through the family proclamation I will be able to move forward with confidence knowing I have the tools to rise to my potential and become the righteous mother and wife I know I can become and that my father in heaven wants me to be.

Peter Moore 9/24/2013 5:51 PM I won't give up  Ironically, I'm listening to "I won't give up" by Jason Mraz right now and it made me think about how our Heavenly Father feels about us. He won't ever give up on us and is always there as long as we are willing to play by His rules. It is through playing by His rules that we are truly happy anyway. I think about parents too. I was blessed with wonderful parents who I love and love me. It makes me want to be that type of father to my future children. It is thought provoking to think about how Heavenly Father felt before He created us. Do you think He was even a tiny bit nervous? I know that I'm extremely nervous to be a father. I want my future child to be the best and to always choose the right, but will he? Probably not. Heavenly Father was probably thinking the same thing. I agree with you 100% about our potential. We have our God, the Creator of the Universe and all thing that we enjoy, as the father of our spirits. We have the ability to bring children into this world and help them achieve their potential. I'm not a father yet, but when I am I know that I won't give up on my children. Ever. Just as our Heavenly Father never gives up on us.

Introduction

Hello all!

This semester I am studying The Family: A Proclamation to the World, so at least once a week I will be putting talks, as well as other goodies, on this blog that I enjoy.

**Every post that from class that I put on here will have (Insert Name Here) instead of the persons name, but don't worry, these are real people!**