Whether by my own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

"There is a portent of stormy weather ahead."
President Gordon B. Hinckley 1998

Sunday, October 11, 2009

- Post-Conference Musings



Post-Conference Musings


General Conference continues to resonate through my heart and mind as I ponder the whisperings of the Spirit that accompanied the music, talks and testimonies.

But where were the warnings to prepare? some may ask. Let me share with you the comments and observations of a wonderful young man that some of you may know from his YouTube videos where he goes by the name of davidkat99. David shared some thoughts after last April's General Conference which came so forcefully to my mind this past week that I requested and received permission to post them here.

What follows next is David's message:

April 2009:

For the past couple of years, I have wondered why in General Conference, the Brethren have been relatively silent in warning, giving counsel in preparing for the last days etc. I have prayed and yearned for Samuel the Lamanite-like talks, or President Benson's or Bruce R. McConkie's talks... yet instead we have been getting talks on Faith, on Hope.. on Charity/Service etc.. Every conference that we have we seem to hear more on hope, on charity. President Monson’s talk on the mother that needed hope despite having to bury her children in frozen ground with a spoon was almost more than I could bare. Why these talks on the big 3 (Faith, Hope, and Charity) instead of one year’s supply of food, emergency preparedness, preparing for eminent catastrophes?

On my knees asking my Father… here the world is crumbling, disasters are eminent, people are not prepared and need to be. I was very frustrated and wondered
WHY ARE WE NOT GETTING THE WARNINGS...

Well… ask and you shall receive.

I then had a wonderful phone conversation with my mother-in-law, and she felt impressed to tell me one thing in particular. She said things are so very close to all of the "prophesied" things to begin happening. We talked about the “cycle" (talked about in the Boyd K Packer's Priesthood Talk in given in conference in April 2009) . We noticed that
just before things completely fall apart and collapse with utter destruction, the Lord's annointed stop warning, and start speaking about faith, hope and charity. IT IS THE LAST STAGE IN THE CYCLE.

Then it hit me... The Book of Mormon is a template for this as well. Case in point. We read in Ether... we get all the warnings about secret combinations etc and how the wickedness is abounding and that the people will be destroyed if they don't repent.. then just before the entire civilization gets destroyed we get the 12th chapter on FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY.. then the destructions in the following chapter to the complete destruction of that civilization.

Another example we find in Moroni chapter 8.. just before telling us that the people will perish and the prophecies will be fulfilled, Mormon teaches his son Moroni (and us), about Faith, Hope and Charity. (Note also, the Apostle Paul speaking to the Early Christian in I Corinthians 13 on Faith, Hope and Charity before the fall of Roman and the Christian persecution)

Okay... fast forward to [recent] conferences.. what messages are we hearing...
FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY!!!!!

WOW.. it hit me like a ton of bricks.. It was the answer that I needed to hear about why we aren't receiving the voice of warning like I wanted.

Here is how I see the cycle now: As a people we move from being Humble… to Obedient… to Blessed…. to Living Righteously…. to Ease… to Laziness… to Prideful…. to Selfishness… to Immorality/Sin…. to Having the prophets warn us to repent….. to Wickedness…. to Ripening to the Point of no return….. to No more on Warnings, but teaching the humble followers to have Faith, Hope, and Charity….. -THEN DESTRUCTION, CALAMITIES for the wicked, etc- and purifying the righteous and unfortunately compelling us back to being HUMBLE.....

So, we probably won't see the prophets speaking to us to warn us.. we are past that time, we are in the final stage. This is the Lord's way, just as He has done with the 2 prior civilizations (Jaredites, and the Nephites).. It is my opinion, the more we hear about HOPE, don't DESPAIR, etc .. THE CLOSER WE ARE!

Just as a side note that just hit me, In one of my last videos, "Great Trials Lie Ahead".. Please watch if you haven’t already. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTVECvTYpN0&feature=channel_page

I started out with all of the warnings of McConkie, Benson, Eyring.... and felt very strongly to end the video with the statements of HOPE by Uchtdorf... This is a pattern, it is pattern seen in the Book of Mormon and we are following that same pattern today... NEXT STEP for ALL OF US: The Destruction of the Wicked and the Saints being Humbled.. Which especially here in Salt Lake is needed.

and by the way....the Book of Mormon is true
.




Wednesday, July 29, 2009

- Walking the Talk





GOTCHA!!


Those of you who have read this blog for a while know that every now and then I drop in a personal note; today will be one of those times.

Sometimes Life just gets up in your face and yells 'Gotcha!' and there's not a lot you can do about it but do your best to be prepared.


For years we've been counseled to get out of debt and live within our means. We did that. We've also been counseled to have food storage and know how to use it. We did that, too. Savings and some cash in hand. Uh-huh. Alternative ways to cook. Yup. Extra clothes. Yup, again.


You may recall that recently we went through a barrage of health challenges followed by a big move a couple states away . . .and then things got interesting!


After we bought a house and schlepped several tons (literally) of food storage and preparedness items to the most wonderful spot on God's green earth we were informed that the company Sweetie was to telecommute for had been involved in a hostile takeover by its investors and all his projects were put on hold and his permission to bill for work hours was suspended.


In one phone call we went from doing 'marvey' to suddenly having a 75% cut in income!

Oh. My. Stars!!


After the initial wave of nausea passed I did a quick inventory of where we stood and realized that, due to our lack of debt (other than a mortgage) and mountains of food storage, we were going to be able to manage. Of course it meant some big changes to our immediate plans and a budget with no room for extras (such as furniture to replace all we'd left behind because there wasn't room in the truck for food storage AND furniture). But all in all, we're going to be okay.


We have slept well each night because of previous preparations. Obedience has blessed us in ways we're just beginning to see.


We give thanks daily for being where we are, knowing full well that the Lord led us here. Our desire is to make a positive difference in the world and that's our plan for the 'here and now'. God knows where we are and the desires of our heart. Let Him do with us as He will.

May each of you be able to face the trials that come to us all in as prepared a manner as possible.



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D&C 123:17

Therefore, dearly beloved ..., let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.






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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

- Shhhh, I'm not really here . . .



Some things are more important than packing

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RplBQGogYEk

See you later once we get settled in.







Wednesday, June 3, 2009

- We're Moving



We're Moving*...



...and will be off-line for a while
(about a month, maybe more)

See you again when the dust settles

*Read my March 29 blog entry to understand the importance of this move



While I'm gone please ponder the following thought;
let your heart be open to the implications and wonder.
Relish the delicious realizations, comfort and joy!


Sheri Dew

Our spirits long for us to remember the truth about who we are, because the way we see ourselves, our sense of identity, affects everything we do. It affects the way we behave, the way we respond to uncertainty, the way we see others, the way we feel about ourselves, and the way we make choices. It affects the very way we live our lives. So, today, I invite you to ponder in a new way not just who you are but who you have always been.

President Lorenzo Snow taught that "Jesus was a god before he came into the world and yet his knowledge was taken from him. He did not know his former greatness, neither do we know what greatness we had attained to before we came here." But President Snow also taught that during the Savior's life "it was revealed unto Him who He was, and for what purpose He was in the world. The glory and power He possessed before He came into the world was made known unto Him." ...just as the Savior came to remember and to know exactly who He was, so may we.

~ Knowing Who You Are--and Who You Have Always Been, 2001 Women's Conference ~







Saturday, May 30, 2009

- Dehydrating 101




Presenting the
Queen of Dehydrating



In an earlier blog entry (here) many of you were introduced to the art of dehydrating through a series of YouTube videos. The talented woman who taught dehydrating in those videos has added more for your learning pleasure. Below you will find the current list as of today. For those of you who already watched the first series of videos there is a division in the list below so you can go directly to the newest additions.

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSK0o2TgcEQ

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoy-3ondVcE

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiHThH-oUA

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd7kEAo3mJU

- Recent Additions -

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lhaKtqJXoA

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzLvEZfIOc

How to cook with dehydrated and stored food - Part 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmJ6PmdA8P

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT46lEuKtp4

How to dehydrate and store food - Part 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFehmxly3HY

Yogurt & tea - Part 1 of 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1xigOWqnks

Yogurt & tea - Part 2 of 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QLSiJWhOEs


Soup & salmon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQmeTYKJJhE






More Uses for Your Dehydrator

http://www.healthgoods.com/shopping/appliances/Food_Dehydrating.htm


Make Fruit and Vegetable Powders and Herb Seasonings

Dry your fruits, vegetables and herbs until extra dry. Place them in your blender and pulverize them into a flour like consistency. Add fruit powders to your baked goods, puddings, whipped creams, yogurts and beverages. Add powdered vegetables like onions, celery and tomato to soups, salads and egg dishes. Mix them with water, milk or juices and they make great natural baby foods. Convert dried herbs into flavorful blended vinegars, herb salts and seasoning mixes.


Make Dough Art and Cake Decorations

Dough art is great for hanging ornaments, party favors and special occasions. The dehydrator uses even heat and lower temperatures that prevents cracking and browning that may occur when you use a conventional hot oven. The removable shelves of the Excalibur dehydrator allows you to make large dough art pieces.

The basic recipe is as follows:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • food coloring as needed for colored dough

First combine the flour and salt then mix in the water and knead for about 5-10 minutes. Roll out the dough and shape it into the desired shapes or use cookie cutters. Place the dough items on Teflex sheets and dry on the highest setting for about 2-4 hours. When dry, paint with craft paints and seal with a plastic fixative available at your local craft store.

Dehydrate the frosting for cake decorations. Mix your favorite recipe and squeeze out of your cake decorating device into the shapes you want on a Teflex sheet or saran wrap. Usual drying time is 1-3 hours at 100° - 110° F.





President Gordon B. Hinckley

Everyone who owns a home recognizes the need for fire insurance. We hope and pray that there will never be a fire. Nevertheless, we pay for insurance to cover such a catastrophe, should it occur. We ought to do the same with reference to family welfare.

“To Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov. 2002







Monday, May 11, 2009

- Making a Difference




Making a Difference

Where do you stand?




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President David O. McKay

“Every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone, it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she is....It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us.”

President David O. McKay, Conference Report, April 1963



Elder Charles Didier
First Quorum of the Seventy

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17)

History is a great teacher if we are willing to learn. It teaches us that anarchy and permissiveness always lead directly to the dictatorship of sin, to the submissiveness of our spirits, to the slavery of our bodies.

Liberty, New Era, Jul 1986, 4



President Ezra Taft Benson

"When the economies of nations fail, when famine and other disasters prevent people from buying food in stores, the Saints must be prepared to handle these emergencies."


The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 264