Move Along...

Due to both delays and the upcoming Memorial Day [in the U.S. at least], The post planned this week will not be up. However, as memorial day is upcoming, I urge all to read the following account of a Book of Mormon Hero, who stood before his people with this creed that all should stand by:

“In memory of our God,

our religion,

and freedom,

and our peace,

our wives,

and our children”

Moroni

Receiving 9 fold

Barter. Gold. Silver. Currency. Cash. Credit Cards.

Money is not a new concept. It is material with “worth” that gives people power to use services and goods.

With such a powerful, man-made concept that controls our lives, God has asked man to sacrifice some of their income, not for the sake of growing man’s empire, but to grow His to further aid his children to come unto him.

It is a principle known as “tithing”

Some out there may find this commandment difficult for a multitude of reasons: they may be struggling financially, not like the idea of just giving away their money, or perhaps there is not enough understanding as to what tithing is.

The aim of this week’s post is to help anyone who may be skeptical of this gospel doctrine.

What’s Tithing?

Tithing means “tenth”.

It is a commandment to pay a tenth of one’s increase to the lord through the church.

Tithing pays for some of the following:

-Building Churches and Temples

-Sustaining missionary work

-Church services

Over all, to build the kingdom of God on earth.

For anyone who’s concerned about losing money to someone’s salary, this is doctrine:

Tithing does NOT pay any clergy of any kind. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is strictly a lay ministry and voluntary church; not even the full time bishops, apostles and prophets are paid.

Historically, Tithing was Paid

For anyone familiar with the bible, they would know that tithing is not a new idea.

Take the following*:

Abraham gave tithes of all he possessed to Melchizedek, Gen. 14:18–20 (Heb. 7:1–2, 9; Alma 13:15).
All the tithe is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord, Lev. 27:30–34
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase, Deut. 14:22, 28
The tithe of all things brought they in abundantly, 2 Chr. 31:5
Will a man rob God? Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings, Mal. 3:8–11 (3 Ne. 24:8–11).

*Not original Deus Ex Gospel Material, see this link for cited source.

Tithing was also paid in goods when money was lacking. It is an increase of what we gain [for most of the modern world, increase usually means money].

How do I pay Tithing?

Tithing in the Latter-Day saint church is paid anonymously [unlike the usual pan passing], and filled out in a form like that below:

Though self explanatory, here are some things to note.

In these forms, there are two main offerings in bold letters: Tithing and Fast Offerings**

The subsequent listed items are what tithing pays for, and gives a good idea where you're money will or can be going toward.

Just in case, here are each of the subheads and brief description of each:

-Ward Missionary: Help fund a local member to pay for his/her mission

-General Missionary: Help fund missionaries around the world

-Book of Mormon: Help fund the production of copies of the Book of Mormon

-Humanitarian Aid: Help fund relief efforts from the church

-Temple Construction: Help fund the construction of a Temple

-Perpetual Education: Help fund educational programs the Church has

-Other(specify): This subhead allows the tithing payer some liberty to pay for a direct objective or another objective not seen on the slip [ex; Genealogy research]

What a Minute, Isn't Money Evil?

Money does has an ugly head. One can argue that the worst sins contribute because of money. There are also some bible readers may question, “why would God want or use something evil? Doesn’t it say in 1 Timothy 6:10 that money is evil?”

Good to note, good to respond.

To have wealth is NOT wrong. In the lines of that very scripture, Paul warns that “…the love of money is the root of all evil….”

The Book of Mormon further clarifies, when Mormon [the second to last prophet in the book] chastises his people, telling them, “…ye do love money, and your substance… more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”

In this life, money has become a necessary item to service.

The Lord understands this, and has asked us to sacrifice part of our gain

Personal Testimony

The Lord has asked us to give some of our substance, but he will not do it without giving blessings. In Malachi 3:10/3^rd Nephi 24:10, God proclaims:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Everyone I've talked to, who pays their tithing honestly, has never been without the bare necessities of life.

I've seen blessings in my own life, and I know it can bless others.
For when we give the Lord 10%, he gives us 9 fold back....

*Not original Deus Ex Gospel Material, see this link for cited source

**Fast Offerings are separate from tithing, and it will be covered in a future post

Tribute: The Neck of Every Head

[click here in case the video does not show up, or switch browsers with Adobe Flash installed]

Mother’s Day is arriving!

It is the one day of the entire YEAR we thank our moms for the relentless sacrifices they put into helping us get on our feet since the day we crawled.

This week’s post will honor such great women, and perhaps remind us that every day of the year should we give respect to those who nurture us.

And it will be done in a somewhat serious manner.

Who Are They?

If you don't know who a mother is... I'm sorry. :(

They are the most awesome-ist people in the universe....

What do they Do?

They are the ones who bring us into this world.

They are the ones who feed us.

They are the ones who dress us.

They are the ones who correct us [trust her, jumping off the roof into a bucket of water is not good].

They are the ones who forgive us for the stupid things we do [like lick spark plugs, or hide her jewelry when we play “pirates of the Backyard”].

They are the ones that are there when we scrap our knees [told you jumping off the roof was bad]

They are the ones who make sure neither the kid's nor Dad gets into trouble.

They are the ones who love us, nurture us, and teach us the path in which we walk.

They are our mothers.

List of Awesome Mother's in the Scriptures

The scriptures are FULL of great moms. Here's just a few:

Eve: The “Mother of All Living” that took the risk of disobeying a small commandment [taking of the fruit], and began filling the greater commandment of bringing God's children into the world.

Naomi: Told her daughter [Ruth] how to court Boaz, which gave her a better life.

Mary: remained worthy and trusted in the Lord, allowing her to give birth to Jesus Christ, our redeemer.

The 2000 stripling warrior's Moms: These mothers were one of the biggest reasons these ancient American soldiers secured peace in their lands, as they taught them fundamentals of the gospel. In fact, these valiant men told their superiors that they knew because of their mothers testimonies.

Conclusion [to this post]

These are a few moms that changed history.

They are the backbone that supported great men then and now.

Even the Christ, greatest man alive, exclaimed his love for his mother when he died to John, giving him charge to keep watch over her.

So what do we need to do?

SUPPORT AND UPLIFT THEM.
 

More more videos on Moms, check out the Mormon channel on youtube

God Given Health Code [Part 2]

Last week, we learned that God's commandments for health are not new. Today, God gives us the Word of Wisdom as a general health code.

Quick Modern History

This revelation came to Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, 27 February 1833. It came about when during church meetings [at that time held on the second floor of the prophets house], people would puff up a smoke, or attempt to aim for the spittoon while chewing.

Emma Smith, Joseph's wife, confronted him with some issues:

First, she was responsible for cleaning up the mess.

Second, while cooking she dealt with some of the ashes and “misfires” over her kitchen.

Needless to say, Emma told Joseph to ask God about these gross habits.

So Joseph did. The result was the Word of Wisdom.

Breaking it down.

So what is in the Word of Wisdom? There are several things it points out, but the idea is the same as it has always been: to maintain and protect the health of those who follow it.

Dangers around Us

The Word of Wisdom [given at this time] was to protect the individual from danger from the enemies of the church. Today, the “enemy” [Satan, followed by drug dealers, ect.] seeks to destroy society with substances that alter a human beings stability for the sake of gain. Hence, we are warned of peer pressure.

Stay Away!

This section [which most non-members have some acquaintance] is based on both health AND obedience.

Generally, those who follow this commandment are warned to stay away from the following;

Alcohol, Tobacco, Tea and Coffee [you can stop squeezing the mouse now].

There are other things that are not included, such harmful and illegal substances, which can destroy the mind and body like a deadly plague.

However, there are things that can enlighten the mind and body that the Word of Wisdom counsols to use.

For Better Health....

For anyone who wants to go beyond just staying away from drugs and addiction, The Word of Wisdom consoles us in a dietary standpoint:

Fruits and vegetables we should eat on a regular basis.

Meat we should eat sparingly [suggested use during famine or winter]

Grains should be a firm basis on our diet.

So Why?

Admittedly, we may not clearly understand why the Lord consoles us on these kinds of things. The Israelites didn’t have any clue why they needed to avoid non-kosher foods, and the early saints that followed Joseph Smith most likely had no idea either.

There are some modern ideas of health that do support why we follow the word of wisdom.

Look familiar?

God knows us even better than we do. God promises that when we follow this Word of Wisdom,

“All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

“And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

“And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” (D&C 89:18-21).

This is the word of God to us, and when we follow it, we WILL find hidden treasures that we may have never realized it before.

It’s not easy for those in addiction to break away, but with help from others and especially with God can one be free to embark on the path of spirituality and good health.