Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I hope all of you will have a very happy Thanksgiving with all your family and friends!

Sand Art Video

At the link below, you will find a video showing sand art, created as you watch, with a short explanatory article. The video runs about 8 1/2 minutes--well worth your time.

"Art for art's sake--Memory for the sake of memory"

"Finding Hope" from Mormon Messages

From the Archives: "To Be Healed"

In the May 1994 Ensign there is a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott entitled "To Be Healed". I think that all of us could stand some healing in one way or the other--whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or social. We all have issues and problems and trials of various kinds. Sometimes we cause our own problems and sometimes they come from outside sources over which we have no control.

I was interested to see that Elder Scott made a point of saying that we have to do our part to be healed. At the very least, we need to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and humbly ask to be healed. Something else he pointed out is that the healing may or may not mean a cure of what ails us--it may mean the strength to carry on and to learn whatever lessons we can from our trials.

You may need to seek help from a trusted friend, associate, or professional, or you may just need to seek to draw closer to the Lord and ask Him to help you learn what you need to learn. You may need to put more effort into serving others, reaching out to others who need help. You may need to spend more time in the scriptures, learning to know the Lord better and to better understand His dealings with His children. Forgiving others may also be something for you to work on.

There are a number of things we can do to seek help and healing. I felt that Elder Scott's talk gave a good overview of those things and also gave hope for us that we will not seek healing in vain, even though the healing may not be what we would expect or prefer.

I linked to the talk rather than quoting from it because I think it will be most helpful to read all of it and to refer to the scriptures linked in the talk.

To me, this is an example of how the Lord works through the leaders in His church to give us useful, practical counsel that will help us live our lives better and to make our way back to Him.

From the Archives: The Fourth of July

A happy 4th of July to you. This is America's Independence Day. Think of your freedoms and what it cost to obtain them.

The History Channel has a nice summary of the events surrounding our gaining our freedom. The article is here: "U.S. Declares Independence".

Another interesting article by George Will can be found at Townhall. It is called "The Valuable Self-Validating Tradition".

Here are two more quotes of special interest to Mormons.

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be afree from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but bserve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12)

"When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the 'Elders of Israel' will be found holding it up to the nations of the world..." President John Taylor (Journal of Discourses 21:8)

(Thanks to JR for those!)

Enjoy the reading and enjoy the Fourth. Think about what it all means for us.

Pray for People Around the World

There are political hotspots around the world. Iran is in the forefront right now, but every country, including the USA, faces problems and issues of one kind or another. My prayers for people everywhere are growing quite long.

It is important to remember that God is in charge, but it is also important to remember that we can always petition Him in prayer in every situation.

We all have personal and immediate issues to pray about, of course, but let us not forget to pray for those around the world and here in our own country.

Why Religion?

I was listening to my CDs of Will and Ariel Durant's book, The Lessons of History. One thing that Will Durant said was that he felt religion, and particularly Christianity, was necessary to people because religion is a stronger support of moral codes than anything else, and that when religion is abandoned, so are morals. Dr. Durant is something of an agnostic. He says he believes in God if God is defined simply as a creative force.

My question for you, dear readers, is, "Do you think he's right?" Or do you think religion is no more necessary to maintain morality (and you can toss ethics into the mix, as well) than law or tradition or education or anything else?

Discuss.