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Antares- Thank you for your response. I know it wasn’t for me, but it describes so much of my heart. Today I needed the validation of being a person who has “spiritual” experiences that aren’t emotional nor intellectual. As I head to church today I hope you won’t mind if I tuck you imaginatively in my pocket as a friend for my day.
Thanks,
Mom3
Welcome! My prayers to your health and healing. I hope you do find something here to support you. Thanks for sharing the long version of your story. I look forward to your comments. Tithing to me has been act of gratitude to God. When I write the check or put in the cash, in my heart I am saying Thanks once again. It may be thanks for all the protection from harm, hurt, etc. It may be thanks for a chance at living such an amazing life. I am thankful for a strong religion that has offered me protection, direction, community, challenges, and growth. I could go on and on. Sometimes I am thankful for just the strength to get out of bed. If I was teaching that message the above is what I would teach. I think His generosity encompasses so much that any effort to make a list of what it will bless or exactly how it will work is unfair to Him. In certain times it may have been a direct one to one promise – I don’t doubt it. Most of all I think the opportunity to find one more way to remember or connect or to demonstrate our connection to him is a good thing. But that’s just me. And I haven’t gotten a call from Salt Lake to preach this just yet.
Katzpur. I wish I lived there. I would attend. Would you be so kind as to take notes or share your insights with us. I for one would love to hear. Thanks for extending an invitation. I hope the conference is a success. Welcome, too. New friends even those who post sporadically are a joy. Thanks for sharing your story. I love that you and your wife are still a team. That is a fortunate gift. Welcome – I hope you find many wonderful friends here as well as an understanding that helps you and your family. I personally have no experience with Tarot cards but I have been told my grandmother used them for a while and my mom says it was the darkest year of their life. Whether it was coincidence or not I can’t say, but the year really did have a series of extreme and painful experiences like no other in their lives. My moms family weren’t members (well in name only – hadn’t attended and wouldn’t appear members at all). I guess somewhere along the way someone suggested Norman Vince Peales the Power of Positive Thinking to my grandmother. My mom said that leaving the cards behind and memorizing Peale’s verses completely turned the energy around. I guess it’s like Brian said there are somethings that just tweak things too much. For what it’s worth I wouldn’t consider them useful. On the horoscope note, the same grandmother worked at a newspaper when she was a girl. One day as the paper went to print they realized the horoscope lady had been ill and hadn’t turned in anything, the solution they sent my grandmother downstairs to pull a horoscope from the year before and have it printed. So much for reading the stars. My guess is she figured tarot cards were as nebulus.
I for one believe both. I won’t list them, but I’ve seen it work both ways. Another angle I see is that sometimes we don’t like Gods help. Especially if it doesn’t look or feel like we assumed it should. It’s actually one of the things I hope will happen in heaven, not for guilt sake but for learning sake, is to see how often God helped everyone (or tried to) and how often we missed it or got it.
To me there are a lot of subtle insights about the personalities in the BOM. For all my readings I hadn’t caught as many as Hardy finds. We just finished his insights on Zeniff. They really showed a human being struggling for charity and righteousness. He also points out the failures or perceived failures that Zeniff’s people experienced. Not because of unrighteousness per se but because life and our best efforts don’t always turn out. I facebooked Grant Hardy with some questions and he explained that he wrote the book to help others find good in it. It helped me fully comprehend his purpose as I continue to read.
Congrats. My husband was an EFY counselor. The job is a lot of fun. I know EFY has changed from way back when but there are plenty of kids who need hugs and to feel valued. As to your doubts you do have one easy out and that is your newness to the church. If you are struggling or someone finds it something objectionable you say, just tell them your learning. I wish you tons of fun and a feeling of being on Gods errand. I knew you would find a way to make it successful. I see that nature in your posts all the time. It is a gift. They may not know it now, but they were blessed to have you these past weeks. Thanks for including us in it. I hope you have a wonderful summer. Hi Beth, Thanks for adding us to your friend list. I love the list of the good things you have found in the church and in life. Hopefully we can add to that list with things you read here.
Hawkgrrl. I just came back to correct my interpretation of your BOM status. You beat me to it. Sorry to mistakenly represent you. Thanks. Hi Hawkgrrl, Great question. No I am not confused on the books. My husband read Grant Palmer 3 years ago. I didn’t read his “Origins book” but I did read his “Incomparable Christ”. I am talking about Hardy’s book. It sitting right here next to me.
My husband kept reading anachronism after anachronism to the point I even became discouraged. To me Hardy wisely hits a million of them. This also does lend him credibility as he moves through the book to make his points. I guess the point that I was trying to make, but didn’t was more a warning to others who may not have been tripped up by anachronisms before, they may find this overwhelming.
Like all spirituality we each see, read, or hear what nurtures our soul. You mentioned not being a big Book of Mormon reader. Hardy’s book is great for analysis and seeing new things we don’t get in LDS lessons. (I love it for that reason) I just know that those anachronisms help throw others into a deeper crisis of faith and I wanted to send a shout out before it threw them too much.
Thanks for asking me to clarify. Thanks also for posting your joyous review. It’s good to see you back on the forum. I enjoy your insights.
My husband bought it a few months ago. During my lifetime I have enjoyed the Book of Mormon. Mine is all marked up. Clearly I love various parts over others. Because it has been a spiritual and human nature book for me I never really got caught up in the anachronisms. That isn’t because I don’t study, it’s because I use the book differently. Anyway my husband, who is the thinker and had some anachronism struggles began reading the book. Well the the first few pages are anachronism heavy. Even ones he’d never thought of. Before long the Book of Mormon seemed to unravel before both of us. I was so hurt, and angry that I wrote a letter ( never sent it) to Bro. Hardy.
Time though helped. As we kept reading we found new jewels of hope and joy. The book is now underlined with and annotated. Grant Hardy really does dismantle to book and re-tie it in a new way.
I guess my support and caution of the book go hand in hand. I am interested what our take will be on it when we finish. My husband also bought Grants Readers Book of Mormon. We have heard that the structure alone brings out new insights you don’t find in the standard version.
One huge plus for this book is it’s great to take to church and read during meetings. It keeps your mind and spirit engaged.
