RACIAL HARMONY NEEDED!!

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/prophet-naacp-leaders-racial-harmony-america-op-ed

Prophet Joins NAACP Leaders in Call for Racial Harmony in America

In a piece published Monday on Medium.com, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and three leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) are calling on all Americans to embrace Jesus Christ’s simple but challenging model that can lead to racial peace and harmony. The prophet is joined by Derrick Johnson (NAACP president and CEO), Leon Russell (NAACP chairman of the board) and the Rev. Amos C. Brown (NAACP chairman emeritus of religious affairs).

“Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone,” they write. “Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are — for we are all children of a loving God. … Oneness is not sameness in America. We must all learn to value the differences.”

The Prophet is Dead. Long Live the Prophet.

By Susan Knight

I was recently reminded of the saying, "The King is Dead. Long Live the King."
It is said in the United Kingdom, and probably has been said in any monarchy. But it's true about our prophets, too.

President Thomas S. Monson

President Thomas S. Monson died on January 2, 2018, at the age of 90. What a perfectly precious  human being he is. I think he has best shown Christlike love of any prophet I've lived under. When I say that, I mean . . . I've always wondered what the personality of Jesus Christ was like. Did you ever wonder that? Was He reserved or outgoing? Did He have a sense of humor, or was He serious all the time?

What we do know is that service was at the top of His list of everyday living. Wherever He went, He personified service--healing the sick, the lame, the blind. He was also a very forgiving God--forgiving the woman taken in sin; forgiving the man who had palsy. He went out of His way to do service.

The Savior Laughing

Did he have a sense of humor? I think of how he told of forgiveness by comparing it to the mote in one person's eye and the beam in another's eye. Hyberbole. Yes, humor.

And He told parables that enthralled the population. Scores of people surrounded Him and followed Him.

Thus was President Thomas S. Monson.

Service was personified in "Tommy Monson," as he liked to refer to himself. He went out of his way for the widow, the lame, the elderly, the forgotten.

His sense of humor abounded in every talk he gave. You could see his tongue in his cheek.

And his stories . . . I couldn't wait to be enthralled by his stories every Conference weekend.

I think, in my humble opinion, that when I think of Jesus Christ now, I will remember President Monson. I believe their personalities were similar.

President Russell M. Nelson

I will miss President Monson, but I welcome our new Prophet Russell M. Nelson. It was formally announced yesterday. I have waited for him to be Prophet for 34 years. Yes, I already had a testimony that he would be our prophet one day. Yet, he was a newly-ordained apostle when I had that vision.

As "Elder" Nelson grew older--and older--I didn't think my vision would come to pass, yet we are here. President Nelson is 93 years old. I don't know how long he will serve, but I always knew he would serve as president of the church.

I had a vision I have only shared with a few people. Perhaps I'll write about it one day.


President Monson is dead. Long live President Nelson.

"If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.

Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?

If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith." -Spencer W. Kimball

Studying the Scriptures

By Susan Knight

I have been watching BYU TV on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. The show has four professors of ancient scripture talk about the scriptures. Right now the lessons are on Revelation. I am enjoying this immensely.

I loved studying the Epistles of Peter. You can see how much he's grown in testimony and spiritually by reading these works. He was a young man, like Jesus, when the Savior walked on the earth. He needed to be taught, instructed, have his attitude tempered.

When Peter's epistles were written, maybe around 60 AD, Peter was an older and much wiser man. In his epistles he talks about priesthood and temples. Those who don't know of these things might wonder what he's talking about.

In Revelation, I loved finding out that animals have spirits, just as humans do. For all those who don't think they'll ever see their beloved pets again, the Book of Revelation would quell that thought.

Also, we know John the Beloved was John the Revelator. He wrote these revelations before he even wrote the gospels or his epistles.

Some people take the "book curse" at the end of Revelation to mean that nobody can add or take away from the whole bible. But the bible is composed of books. It's a bibliography of spiritual works. If John wrote Revelation first, then the gospels on should not have been written. John was telling us we should not change his book of revelation.

When I was involved with my calligraphy guild, I learned a lot about book curses. I'm sure they were mimicking the book curse that John put in his writing about his vision. I have a whole book called "Anathema" that deals solely with book curses of the middle ages. I love that book. We even had a contest in the guild for people to come up with their own book curses.

I also know that many prophets--Adam, Moses, Abraham, Enoch, Nephi, Lehi and others--had the same vision John did. They were told not to write about it, that there would be someone whose task it was to write about it only. So nobody did. John was the one who was supposed to write it. Joseph Smith had the same visions as John in the Book of Revelation. Joseph Smith said it was one of the easiest books to comprehend--yeah, because he had the same vision, so I guess he would be able to decipher what it means.

Also, in the Doctrine and Covenants, more about the Book of Revelation is revealed.

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for all I have. I am a broken record at night and in the morning. Sometimes I apologize to Him. "Sorry for saying the same things every day." Thank you for my house, my safety, my children, my job--in so many words. Then the pleadings to protect us all from predators and harm; and the "pleases" for help and health and happiness.

I am reminded, in my Patriarchal Blessing, that I am to never cease thanking my H.F. in my prayers for all of my blessings. Once I read, and re-read, this particular paragraph, I feel better about that broken record syndrome.

I had a lovely holiday today. Thank you, Lord, for watching over my children--and me. Please continue to grant us Thy tender mercies.