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Last night, I had to take a benedryl to get to sleep, being still on Pacific Time. So at 2 am this morning, I fell asleep. Woke up at 11 am. Now, it's after midnight again and I'm wired.
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Went to Lowe's and bought some potting soil for my manzanitas plant I got in California. I am almost sure it's gonna die. Cindy's cousin in California told me he's tried to transplant them from the mountains to his place at about 2000 feet and they always die. Oh, well, I'll try. Then I went shopping at Walmart.
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Loni said that she and Chris found my lawnmower sitting outside the garage and put it inside for me. I had called the fix it guy the Friday and Saturday before we left and said I'd be gone for a couple weeks and so was my mower ready? Please call. You have my cell phone number because you've called me before, but here it is again. Then I waited and he never called.
So I go downstairs to try it out and the key is missing. I called him up, and asked where the key was. "Oh, it's hanging on the peg down here." "How much do I owe you, blah, blah, blah." I figure he kept the key to assure payment. That's OK, but why give me my mower back?
I said, "Why did you leave my mower outside in the rain for several days while I was gone?"
"My guy tried to call you but nobody ever answered."
"No, he didn't. I had my cell phone with me for two weeks and you never called."
"Oh..."
"I'll be right down."
On the way, I pray to Heavenly Father to help me not be confrontational, which I have a tendency to do. No, really, I do. Shut up.
So I get there and meet his "guy" and ask for the key and he knows exactly which one it is. I give him the check and he says, "Hope that works out for you." I say, "Thank you. Me, too." and I leave.
Works like a dream. But I'm not going back. I am so frustrated with people around here. Never on time, never. Lousy work ethic. Work just enough to buy beer and bait.
Not all, but it's hard to find reliable workers.
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More from the testimony of Joseph Smith on the Book of Mormon:
“He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted Seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book."
He's still talking about what Moroni told him. The book was written on gold plates. At the time, the entire world, scientific and religious, mocked Joseph because of this statement. Now, metal plates, including solid gold, have been found all over the world, with accounts written on them, and were in fact a common way anciently to keep records. Permanent.
It's funny how the world, both scientists and religionists, will mock anything they either don't understand or don't like, and will even team up against the truth, when otherwise they would hate each other. This is a perfect example of the great building in the sky Nephi saw, which fell. It was filled with all manner of people, both old and young, rich and poor, male and female, bond and free.
The gospel from the Savior delivered directly to the ancient people of the Americas was on the plates. This is also tough to swallow for the sectarians. I'm leaving the people who don't believe in God, for they are in a separate class. But people who claim to believe in God and then won't believe that he will treat all his children equally astound me. Why not visit the new world as well as the old? Why not? Does he not love his children over here just as much as he does his other ones?
On my mission, we taught a man who challenged us on this point. He said, "Oh, now you Americans claim to have Jesus, too. America always has to be better, bigger and better than everyone else." My companion tried to assure him that it did not mean the United States, just the New World. But he would not let it go. After several minutes of abusing us, he finally asked, "Why not Sweden? Why didn't Jesus visit Sweden, then?" My companion had had enough and blurted out, "He probably did, but you people didn't bother to write it down, did you?!" And with that we ended the night. It was hilarious, I must admit, watching the guy turn red and then kick us out.
Another man we tracted into stopped us on the porch and said, "I know who you are. I know everything about you and I'm not interested." He looked intelligent so I said, "You know everything? What do you know about us?"
"I know you are Mormons and you've come here to steal away our virgins, take them back to Utah through the tunnel you've built under the ocean, and throw them off your temple in Salt Lake City into the Great Salt Lake as sacrifices."
I was taken aback and figured it was a joke, so I busted out laughing, which made him furious. He was serious!
I said, "Look, you seem to be a very intelligent person. Do you mind if we come in and discuss this for a few minutes?" He said we could.
We went into his study, which was lined wall to ceiling with books. He was the local college's history professor. He should know better.
I said, "Let's discuss this logically. Have you ever heard of this tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Salt Lake City in any other context other than sacrificing Swedish virgins?"
"Well, no."
"Don't you think it would have been in all the papers? Say, for tourism, trade, military, stuff like that? I mean, that's quite an engineering feat for us to accomplish just to sacrifice Swedish virgins."
"Oh, well, yeah, I suppose so."
"Second. Have you ever been to Salt Lake City?"
"No."
"Do you know how far it is from the temple to the lake?"
"No..."
"It's about 15 kilometers."
"OHHH......"
"That's quite a toss, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I suppose it is (chuckling)." (I did not even bring up that fact that they would not drown, they would just float away...)
"Third, how many Swedish virgins do you actually know?"
"Oh, well, OK, you got me there, boys."
"Can we tell you why we're really here?"
"No, I'm not interested. I'm sorry I believed that stuff. You know, you hear this kind of thing and you just want to believe it so you suspend your thinking. Goodnight, boys."
And we left.
Point is, the Savior can visit anywhere, any people he wants. He said he would in John 10:16. But the Jews, like the sectarians of today, would not believe it.
As to the seers, the urim and thummim, these things, and there were several different ones, have been around for a very long time. Joseph was mocked by the rabble for his "white stones" and ridiculed by the priests who, had they actually read the Bible, would have known about them. They are mentioned in several places in the Old Testament as sacred objects that the prophets and ministers of the Aaronic Priesthood used in official ordinances. In fact, in Ezra 2: 63
the people are condemned to not partake of the "most holy things", basically the sacramental symbols, until a prophet returned to them who was worthy to wear the Urim and Thummim.He's still talking about what Moroni told him. The book was written on gold plates. At the time, the entire world, scientific and religious, mocked Joseph because of this statement. Now, metal plates, including solid gold, have been found all over the world, with accounts written on them, and were in fact a common way anciently to keep records. Permanent.
It's funny how the world, both scientists and religionists, will mock anything they either don't understand or don't like, and will even team up against the truth, when otherwise they would hate each other. This is a perfect example of the great building in the sky Nephi saw, which fell. It was filled with all manner of people, both old and young, rich and poor, male and female, bond and free.
The gospel from the Savior delivered directly to the ancient people of the Americas was on the plates. This is also tough to swallow for the sectarians. I'm leaving the people who don't believe in God, for they are in a separate class. But people who claim to believe in God and then won't believe that he will treat all his children equally astound me. Why not visit the new world as well as the old? Why not? Does he not love his children over here just as much as he does his other ones?
On my mission, we taught a man who challenged us on this point. He said, "Oh, now you Americans claim to have Jesus, too. America always has to be better, bigger and better than everyone else." My companion tried to assure him that it did not mean the United States, just the New World. But he would not let it go. After several minutes of abusing us, he finally asked, "Why not Sweden? Why didn't Jesus visit Sweden, then?" My companion had had enough and blurted out, "He probably did, but you people didn't bother to write it down, did you?!" And with that we ended the night. It was hilarious, I must admit, watching the guy turn red and then kick us out.
Another man we tracted into stopped us on the porch and said, "I know who you are. I know everything about you and I'm not interested." He looked intelligent so I said, "You know everything? What do you know about us?"
"I know you are Mormons and you've come here to steal away our virgins, take them back to Utah through the tunnel you've built under the ocean, and throw them off your temple in Salt Lake City into the Great Salt Lake as sacrifices."
I was taken aback and figured it was a joke, so I busted out laughing, which made him furious. He was serious!
I said, "Look, you seem to be a very intelligent person. Do you mind if we come in and discuss this for a few minutes?" He said we could.
We went into his study, which was lined wall to ceiling with books. He was the local college's history professor. He should know better.
I said, "Let's discuss this logically. Have you ever heard of this tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Salt Lake City in any other context other than sacrificing Swedish virgins?"
"Well, no."
"Don't you think it would have been in all the papers? Say, for tourism, trade, military, stuff like that? I mean, that's quite an engineering feat for us to accomplish just to sacrifice Swedish virgins."
"Oh, well, yeah, I suppose so."
"Second. Have you ever been to Salt Lake City?"
"No."
"Do you know how far it is from the temple to the lake?"
"No..."
"It's about 15 kilometers."
"OHHH......"
"That's quite a toss, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I suppose it is (chuckling)." (I did not even bring up that fact that they would not drown, they would just float away...)
"Third, how many Swedish virgins do you actually know?"
"Oh, well, OK, you got me there, boys."
"Can we tell you why we're really here?"
"No, I'm not interested. I'm sorry I believed that stuff. You know, you hear this kind of thing and you just want to believe it so you suspend your thinking. Goodnight, boys."
And we left.
Point is, the Savior can visit anywhere, any people he wants. He said he would in John 10:16. But the Jews, like the sectarians of today, would not believe it.
As to the seers, the urim and thummim, these things, and there were several different ones, have been around for a very long time. Joseph was mocked by the rabble for his "white stones" and ridiculed by the priests who, had they actually read the Bible, would have known about them. They are mentioned in several places in the Old Testament as sacred objects that the prophets and ministers of the Aaronic Priesthood used in official ordinances. In fact, in Ezra 2: 63
Take THAT sectarian world!
In Hebrew, the terms mean "Lights and Perfections". The "im" ending indicates plural cases on both words. They are also mentioned in the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants.
The bishop told me seek for symbols of Christ and his atonement in the Book of Mormon. Well, here you go:
We are commanded to always have Christ in our hearts. He says of himself that he is full of light and truth. He told the Nephites to be perfect as he is perfect. So, we have the breastplate of the Urim and Thummim which we wear to cover our heart. It is closest to our heart, as Christ should be. And the stones were held up to the eyes by "bows" or supports. I say that these "lights and truths" or Christ, should be held up always to our eyes, so that we always view the world through him or through his atonement.
The Urim and Thummim symbolize Christ.
Am I ever going to get through the Book of Mormon at this rate? I wonder.
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