By Alan on Dec 22 in Blog tagged celestial, children of God, eternity, Glory of God, intelligence, light, moon, physical body, resurrection, spiritual body, stars, sun, telestial, Terresterial, time, truth | Comments Off

 No, yesterday was NOT the end of the world.

More light must be shed on the end of the world.

Truth Is Light

 

 

The resurrection is the reuniting of the spirit body with the physical body of flesh and bones after death. After resurrection, the spirit and body will never again be separated, and the person will become immortal. Every person born on earth will be resurrected because Jesus Christ overcame death.  1 Cor. 15:20–22

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 
I go to prepare a place for you.”  
John 14:2

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: 
for one star differeth from another star in glory.”  (or intelligence)
1 Corinthians 15:41

Telestial Glory

Terresterial Glory

Celestial Glory

. . . So Also Is The Resurrection.

“That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.

And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.

For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.

 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.

And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—”
D&C 88:20–32

All people will not be resurrected to the same glory (1 Cor. 15:39–42; D&C 76:89–98), nor will all be resurrected at the same time (1 Cor. 15:22–23; Alma 40:8; D&C 76:64–65, 85). Many Saints were resurrected after Christ’s resurrection (Matt. 27:52). The righteous will be resurrected before the wicked and will come forth in the first resurrection (1 Thes. 4:16); the unrepentant sinners will come forth in the last resurrection (Rev. 20:5–13; D&C 76:85).

May we all continue to learn more truth and light until we have received the fulness of truth and live what we have learned so that we may be able to live in the Celestial Glory where God dwells for time and for all eternity.  God is not the author of confusion. Nor can God dwell in a place where there is anything unholy or wicked. Just like levels of light, they are all truth, but the fulness of truth AND LIGHT, you will attain the highest kingdom of Glory just as the glory of the sun which is the fullness of light.  ”Seek and ye shall find.”  ”Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.“

“Strengthening The Family – Spiritually”
For The Family

By Alan on Apr 30 in Blog tagged everywhere, Fibonacci Numgers, God's Fingerprint, How Great Thou Art, intelligence, sees Him, so do we, The Family, the Glory of God | Comments Off

The Glory of God Is Intelligence

We See His Fingerprint Everywhere

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377,

610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711,

etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

‘Fibonacci’s Numbers Sees Him Everywhere

So Do We!

Chuck Tate
For The Family

 

By Alan on Apr 10 in Blog tagged Alan Osmond, diligence, fear God, fear man, fight, focus, FREE Newsletter, Get NoiZ, hearing impaired, heavenly parents, in charge, intelligence, Jesus Christ, Life is T.U.F.F., M.S., military, multiple sclerosis, noisy, Osmond Brothers, patience, Plan of Life, Power to choose, real challenge, say my prayers, scriptorian, scriptures, sin, Target, the resurrection, trophies, understand, Vietnam, Weakness, write it down, you can do it | 3 Comments

TheFamily.com publishes a FREE Newsletter Monthly Newsletter called, “GET NOIZ” (Noisy).

You can get these Free Newsletters by Signing up HERE!

We offer a FREE NEWSLETTER to help “Strengthen The Family” in several ways: Physically, Mentally, Socially, Spiritually, and Financially.

Here is a sample of one of our Newsletters from Last Month:

Subject: GET NOI-Z (Noisy) NEWSLETTER
Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012 11:15 

‘LET’S TURN THE WORLD AROUND’

Life is T.U.F.F. but, So Are YOU!

By:  Alan Osmond

Life is T.U.F.F.!  But remember, when the going gets tough, the T.U.F.F. get going!  You must be motivated and see the steps that need to be taken in order to accomplish your goals in life.   You must believe in whatever you choose to do and to always remind yourself that “You can do it!”  You must be strong with a positive mental attitude.  If you think you can’t, you won’t!  If you have the desire to achieve, you will!  Where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

Whenever I face challenges, I remember this slogan that I created as the way to accomplish it and overcome it.  See if it works for you!  This is the way:

T = Target – What is it you are trying to accomplish?  If there is one thing that you wished to do, to accomplish or become in life, what would it be?  Write it down and make that your TARGET!

U = Understand – To achieve your target, you need to UNDERSTAND all you can about it.  Identify what it is and what the various factors that are involved; what needs to be done to affectively put it into your grasp so that you can achieve it?  Figure out those steps that you need to take in order to win the challenge and write them down.  Study the positive and the negative aspects of that which you are targeting so that you totally understand it and know what to do in order to take it on! 

F = Focus – Don’t just go at your target without first establishing a FOCUS point on what you are aiming to achieve.  Make a plan and a checklist of the do’s and don’ts and study it each and every day.  Besides just thinking of it, keep your eye on it and really be sure to “Rifle In” on your Target!  Do not just go at it with a “shotgun” approach.  You may only get one shot at it so never lose site or what you must do and keep your FOCUS!

F = Fight – Nothing good comes easy or without effort.  If you want something that is worth having, it will usually take a lot of effort and will be hard work to accomplish it.  So, you must FIGHT for it!

What is it that you wish to target?

-A health challenge?

-An education?

-A career or a job?

-A marriage partner?

-A great idea that you have?

Write it down!  Seeing believing!  You will then be able to visualize the steps that you have to take.  Start by following the T.U.F.F. format and fill in the details for each step.  Set goals and make in a daily effort.  Visualize it. Think about it.  Study it. Keep it in your mind!  Little by little you will accomplish those steps and with the best shot you’ve got, your Target will be accomplished with a bull’s-eye!   

It is very simple but, with patience and effort, it works!

Where in the world did I get this idea of being T.U.F.F.?  It came experiences I had in life but especially when I was told that I had Multiple Sclerosis or M.S..  I didn’t know what M.S. was and the first thing I thought it might mean, “Many Sons”!  My wife Suzanne and I were blessed to have eight sons. 

Yes, raising sons in today’s world is a real challenge but this challenge called “Multiple Sclerosis” was a physical one and the doctors didn’t know what to do to fix it!  I was in the prime of my life with a wonderful marriage and a family started plus my entertainment career was at its peak. I didn’t want this! So, instead of looking at it negatively, I asked myself,  “What is it that I am to learn?”

I first noticed that when I would walk and trip up on something, I’d look down for something like a nail or what ever it was in the floor but, nothing was there!  I also soon realized that when I played my trumpet, I couldn’t move my fingers as fast as before.  With time, my right side began to fail and would not respond as it should and it caused me to drag my right food and arm. 

With several doctors telling me “they didn’t know what it was but thought it might be M.S.”, and telling me that “nothing they knew could reverse it”, I realized I was facing this challenge alone with my wife and my family.  That’s when after many sincere prayers and fasting that I came up with the idea of being T.U.F.F. with a plan to achieve my goal of getting better.  I first started a positive approach by establishing an attitude in my mind and my heart by saying, “I may have M.S. but, M.S. does NOT have me!”  Other ways of dealing with it came with time.

What took place over the next while was in realizing that besides having a positive outlook on this health challenge, I needed a plan of attack, and I needed to be tough!  That is when the idea of T.U.F.F. came into my mind as I analyzed the steps that I needed to take in order to overcome my health weakness.  Over time with determination and a positive attitude It seemed to be working!  I changed my style of eating to mostly organic and healthy foods.  I worked at walking with a focus on picking my leg up and I “talked to those muscles” that wouldn’t respond.  I kept an open mind with a prayer in y heart and promised that I would do anything my Lord would ask of me to be able to live happily with my wife Suzanne and my eight sons and family who love me.

I was the oldest of our singing group, The Osmond Brothers, when my brothers Wayne, Merrill, and Jay, and I, and then Donny, were growing up.  We were at a very young age to be on stage with a weekly national television show called The Andy Williams Show.   Later on, my sister Marie and youngest brother Jimmy also joined the group.  Our father said to us boys when we were rehearsing, that there needed to be one person in charge of the group and that I was the leader and the “boss”.  I hated being call the boss and to have to be in charge of my brothers.  They didn’t like it either but, it taught me many things about being responsible and in making sure that we all accomplished what we were sipposed to do while getting along with each other and making it fun.  There had to be order and I was in charge.  It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was also pretty tough!  Besides that, my two oldest brothers, Virl and Tom were hearing impaired or deaf and often I would hear my parents say, “Alan, go get your brothers!”

I remembered when I turned nineteen and I got my orders to  report to Fort Ord, California for active infantry training or boot camp, and to be trained as a soldier in the army during the time of the Vietnam War.  I knew then that if I was going to succeed and become the best soldier I could, that I had better learn and remember all that I was taught and to do what I was supposed to do as it may someday save my life.  It was hard work and it was almost was like they were brain washing us with what was expected of us during the war.  It was so different from my civilian life and some of my fellow soldiers couldn’t take it.  Staying positive was most important while always remaining tough myself.  

I had never been away from my family like this before and for the first time I was on my own.  You know it reality hits you hard when you don’t have that support system around you of loving parents and family members who stand by your side.   Everything I did while I was in the military I tried to do well and to be the very best at it as I knew I was on my own.

The first day I was there in the army barracks, I heard more foul language and stories that I wish I had never heard.  I realized that I needed to fit in with the other guys but to always be who I was.  That night, I had a moment to prove it.  The lights in the barracks were turned off, I laid in my bunk bed in a room filled with strangers that I had never known before.  It was then that I realized that I hadn’t said my prayers of thanks to my Heavenly Father as I always do.  I always knelt down beside my bed at night and offered my prayers.  I hesitated thinking that these guys would all make fun of me and I didn’t want to stand out but to “fit in”.  Just then, it was almost like a voice within me that said, “Do you fear man. . . or do you fear God?”  I knew what I had to do and so I jumped out of my bunk and knelt down on the floor and said my prayers.  It was probably the shortest prayer I have ever said but I said it!  Before I could get back into my bunk bed I heard someone say, “Hey Osmond, say one for me!” 

The next morning I was approached by several of those “tough talking” guys that asked me what I believed and what happens to someone if they died.  With us facing this war, it was definitely on everyone’s mind and in their hearts.  It was then that I had the opportunity to teach them some gospel principles of faith in Jesus Christ and His ‘Plan of Life’ with life for all after death.  It brought several of us much closer together.

That period of time was really challenging for me

 but I was successful and ended up receiving three basic training award trophies as a soldier.  After completing my active infantry training,  I received the highest grade on the overall testing, the highest scoring on the rifle marksmanship shooting skills test, and I was voted by all of the military training staff as The Outstanding Trainee.  I had no idea they gave trophies for doing what I did, but I got them.  The best thing that happened though was when the loudest and foulest mouth guy who became our platoon sergeant came to me before we got our orders to go to Viet Nam.  He said, “Osmond, can I talk to you?  … Alone?”  I said, “Yes”, and we went int the empty barracks. He said to me, “You really believe that there is someone up there don’t you? (Meaning that therer is a God.) I said, “Yes”.  He said, “Oh I wish I knew somebody loved me.  When I was five years old, my Dad made me go out and steal money and stuff just so I could stay at home.” (I listened and just let him talk.)  He said, “Would you teach me to pray?” I said, “Sure”, and explained a simple way to approach prayer. I then told him I would say one first to show him how, and then he could say one.  I did and then it was his turn.  He said a simple yet touching prayer and became somewhat emotional.  We stood up and he gave me a bear hug and said, “Now, I can go to “Nam”!   These were some of the experiences that I related to when I came up with a way to achieve my new challenges and goals and in being T.U.F.F.!

I come from a family heritage of school teachers and educators on my Mother’s side of the family (Olive May Davis), and a strong, driving, hard working and a ‘never give up’ style from my Father, George V. Osmond, and his side of the family whose life had always been one of hard work but with a “you can do it” attitude.  In fact, when I was doing my physical test in the army to see if we could run a mile in full battle gear in under 6:00 minutes. I was running as hard as I could and I felt like I was going to die.  I kept pushing hard and came in second place just behind a fast running athlete soldier.  You see, it was then that I had remembered my Father’s slogan “You Can Do It!” . .  … and I did!

My Mother, Olive Osmond,  who was also a theologian and knew the scriptures very well,
taught us about God’s plan of life.  She taught us much about gospel truths and about the beliefs of various other religions.  In knowing and understanding this, and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormons) I studied and developed a burning testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.  My mother also instilled into me her positive attitude and desire to gain as much truth and knowledge as I could by reading from the best books.  She love to read and taught us the scripture that supported her thinking like this scripture says, “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” D&C 130: 18-19 

She explained to us that knowledge is more about the information of many things but that intelligence is the knowledge of those spiritual things that are eternal and that are good yesterday, today and forever.   This understanding became a guide for me to follow in deciding which books I chose to read and which movies and entertainment I would go and see and for those choices that I targeted to understand and know.  

So, when you think of something that you want to accomplish and “Target” to achieve, I hope you will ask yourself if it is a worthy goal and worth your time.  Is it something that will be long lasting and become significant enough in that it makes you a better person and which fulfills your life long dreams and ambitions as well as sets the course for your eternal existence?

One thing we all have is the “Power To Choose” ; to make decisions and choices of our own free will and choice.  Those choices that we make in life, we will be held responsible and held accountable.  This is why good principles are important in one’s life.  When lived, they will influence you in the kinds of choices and decisions you will make in your life.

Your good choices will probably take a definite amount of time and effort on your part and will  require some extensive work as well.  But that is okay!  This is why we are here in this life; to learn and to grow.  We are told that the Glory of God is intelligence and if we attain more truth and knowledge in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  So it’s an investment in you and your future!

To summarize:

 ”As Spirit children of God, we all left our Heavenly Parents to come to this world to prove ourselves. A veil covered our momories which was necessary so we could exercise our agency to choose good or evil without our Heavenly Parents influence.  Our earthly parents gave us a body of flesh and bones and we learned the purpose for us to progress in order to have a fulness of joy. We learned that we would be deceived, choose other paths, and lose our way; that we would have trials in our lives like sickness, disappointment, pain, sorrow and death. We understood that these would be given to us for our experience and for our good and that these trials would purify us rather than defeat us. They would teach us to have endurance, patience, and charity.  (To be T.U.F.F.)

We also learned that because of our weakness, all of us except little children would sin.  We learned that a Savior would be provided for us so we could overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection.  We learned that by placing our faith in Him, obeying His word and following His example, we would be resurrected, exalted, and become more like our Heavenly parents and live forever!   That’s when we receive a fulness of joy!  

That is God’s Plan of Life.

So… “Let’s Be T.U.F.F.” and ‘GET NOI-Z’ (Noisy) FOR GOOD because it is WORTH IT!

We hope you, your family and friends will enjoy these Newsletters!

SIGN UP FOR FREE NOW!

 

By Alan on Feb 10 in Blog tagged absolute necessity, available with sophisticated technologies, by faith, central to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, comes in steps, Elder David A. Bednar, here a little, Holy Ghost, how do we learn what to do, in this life, intelligence, knowledge, learning how to learn, learning to love learning, more knowledge and intelligence, Quorum of Twelve Apostles, revelations, righteousness, school of mortality, so much the advantage in the world to come, The Family, the glory of God is intelligence, there a little, vital to our ongoing development, where we came from, who we are, why we are on the earth | Comments Off

Learning How To Learn And Learning To Love Learning

The Glory of God Is Intelligence

“If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience … , he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:19).

You and I are here on the earth … to learn things that are temporally important and eternally essential.

Knowing how to learn prepares us to discern and act upon opportunities that others may not readily recognize.

When I was younger, I thought education meant going to school, taking tests, and getting good grades. But as I grew older, I began to learn the difference between doing well in school and becoming educated. A person can do well on tests and still not be educated. True education is learning how to learn. Once I discovered that lesson, learning became fun.

One of the primary purposes of mortality is to learn—to gain knowledge and intelligence. D&C 93: 36 states, “The glory of God is intelligence.” You might think intelligence means being gifted in academic work, but intelligence also means applying the knowledge we obtain for righteous purposes.

Knowledge, both temporal and spiritual, comes in steps. My testimony grew line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little (see Isaiah 28:10)—the way it does for almost all members of the Church. As a boy, I recall my mother reading religious stories to me. I felt a sweet, peaceful, reassuring feeling that what I was learning was true. This feeling developed into a sincere desire to learn more by studying the scriptures. Nothing has had a greater impact upon my life than reading, studying, and searching the scriptures in order to gain more knowledge and intelligence.

I grew up in California as a teenager during a time when evil influences, such as drugs and bad music, became increasingly popular. Because of the knowledge I had been blessed to receive, I chose not to participate in those things. I was preparing to become a missionary and serve the Lord. The knowledge that I was serving the Lord strengthened my determination to work hard in building His kingdom which is perhaps one of the greatest ways to learn and obtain spiritual knowledge.

The real value of learning is that it enables you in any situation to be resourceful—to figure out what to do when you have no idea what to do! We are frequently taught in the scriptures to seek learning by study and by faith (see D&C 88:118). In our own lives, in our families, and in the Church, we can receive blessings of spiritual strength, direction, and protection as we seek by faith to gain intelligence and apply spiritual knowledge in righteousness.

Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are on the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.

It is vital to our on going spiritual and personal development, and is an absolute necessity in the world in which we do now and will yet live, serve, and work.

The importance of learning to love learning in three aspects of our lives.

Learning to Love Learning Is Central to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Savior said, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (D&C 19:23).

We are assisted in learning of and listening to the words of Christ by the Holy Ghost, even the third member of the Godhead. The Holy Ghost reveals and witnesses the truth of all things and brings all things to our remembrance (see John 14:26, 16:13; Moroni 10:5; D&C 39:6). The Holy Ghost is the teacher who kindles within us an abiding love of and for learning.

We repeatedly are admonished in the revelations to ask in faith when we lack knowledge (see James 1:5–6), to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118), and to inquire of God that we might receive instruction from His Spirit (see D&C 6:14) and “know mysteries which are great and marvelous” (D&C 6:11).

A hierarchy of importance exists among the things you and I can learn. Indeed, all learning is not equally important. The Apostle Paul taught this truth in his second epistle to Timothy as he warned that in the latter days many people would be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7)

Some facts are helpful or interesting to know. Some knowledge is useful to learn and apply. But gospel truths are essential for us to understand and live if we are to become what our Heavenly Father yearns for us to become. The type of learning I am attempting to describe is not merely the accumulation of data and facts and frameworks; rather, it is acquiring and applying knowledge for righteousness.

The revelations teach us that “the glory of God is intelligence” (D&C 93:36). We typically may think the word intelligence in this scripture denotes innate cognitive ability or a particular gift for academic work. In this verse, however, one of the meanings of intelligence is the application of the knowledge we obtain for righteous purposes.

You and I are here on the earth to prepare for eternity, to learn how to learn, to learn things that are temporally important and eternally essential, and to assist others in learning wisdom and truth (see D&C 97:1). Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are on the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.

Learning to Love Learning Is Vital to Our Ongoing
Spiritual and Personal Development

“The object of [our mortal] existence is to learn.” 2

“We are in the school [of mortality] and keep learning, and we do not expect to cease learning while we live on earth; and when we pass through the veil, we expect still to continue to learn and increase our fund of information. That may appear a strange idea to some; but it is for the plain and simple reason that we are not capacitated to receive all knowledge at once. We must therefore receive a little here and a little there.” 6

Learning to Love Learning Is an Absolute Necessity in the World
in Which we Do Now and Will Yet Live, Serve, and Work

On the landmark sign located at the entrance to Brigham Young University,
the following motto is found:
“Enter to learn; go forth to serve.”

This expression certainly does not imply that everything necessary for a lifetime of meaningful service can or will be obtained during a few short years of higher education. Rather, the spirit of this statement is that students come to receive foundational instruction about learning how to learn and learning to love learning. Furthermore, students’ desires and capacities to serve are not “put on hold” during their university years of intellectual exploration and development.  We should “Enter to learn to love learning and serving”; but go forth to continue learning and serving.”

Academic assignments, test scores, and a cumulative GPA do not produce a final and polished product. Rather, students have only started to put in place a foundation of learning upon which they can build forever. Much of the data and knowledge obtained through a specific major or program of study may rapidly become outdated and obsolete. The particular topics investigated and learned are not nearly as important as what has been learned about learning. As we press forward in life—spiritually, interpersonally, and professionally—no book of answers is readily available with guidelines and solutions to the great challenges of life. All we have is our capacity to learn and our love of and for learning.

I believe a basic test exists of our capacity to learn and of the measure of our love of learning. Here is the test:

When you and I do not know what to do or how to proceed to achieve a particular outcome—when we are confronted with a problem that has no clear answer and no prescribed pattern for resolution—how do we learn what to do?

This was precisely the situation in which Nephi found himself as he was commanded to build a ship. “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters” (1 Nephi 17:8).

Nephi was not a sailor. He had been reared in Jerusalem, an inland city, rather than along the borders of the Mediterranean Sea. It seems unlikely that he knew much about or had experience with the tools and skills necessary to build a ship. He may not have ever previously seen an oceangoing vessel. In essence, then, Nephi was commanded and instructed to build something he had never built before in order to go someplace he had never been before.

I doubt that any of us will be commanded to build a ship as was Nephi, but each of us will have our spiritual and learning capabilities tested over and over again. The ever-accelerating rate of change in our modern world will force us into uncharted territory and demanding circumstances.

For example, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s college graduates will have between 10 and 14 different jobs by the time they are 38 years old. And the necessary skills to perform successfully in each job assignment will constantly change and evolve.

For much of my career as a professor, there was no Internet, no Google, no Wikipedia, no YouTube, and no telepresence. The Internet only began to be widely used by the general public in the mid-1990s. Prior to that time, no courses were taught about and no majors were offered in Internet-related subjects. I remember teaching myself HTML and experimenting with ways student learning could be enhanced through this new and emerging technology. In contrast, most students today have never known and cannot imagine a world without the Internet and its associated technologies. Can we even begin to imagine how much things will continue to change during the next 15 years?

Because vast amounts of information are so readily available and sophisticated technologies make possible widespread and even global collaboration, we may be prone to put our “trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Nephi 4:34; see also 28:31) as we grapple with complex challenges and problems. We perhaps might be inclined to rely primarily upon our individual and collective capacity to reason, to innovate, to plan, and to execute. Certainly we must use our God-given abilities to the fullest, employ our best efforts, and exercise appropriate judgment as we encounter the opportunities of life. But our mortal best is never enough.

“My knowledge is, if you will follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, every man and woman will be put in possession of the Holy Ghost. … They will know things that are, that will be, and that have been. They will understand things in heaven, things on the earth, and things under the earth, things of time, and things of eternity, according to their several callings and capacities.” 8

Learning to love learning equips us for an ever-changing and unpredictable future. Knowing how to learn prepares us to discern and act upon opportunities that others may not readily recognize. I am confident we will pass the test of learning what to do when we do not know what to do or how to proceed.

I witness the living reality of God the Eternal Father; of our Savior and Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ; and of the Holy Ghost. I also declare my witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth in these latter days.

Elder David A. Bednar
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Re-published for The Family

By Alan on Aug 30 in Blog tagged Alan Osmond, can we talk, choices, friend to friend, intelligence, Jesus, knowledge, last days, LDS, learning, life, light and truth, natural man, publish peace, reliion, share truths, Suzanne, The Family, The Pan, the way | 10 Comments

This is Alan Osmond.

I sure enjoy publishing and sharing ideas, stories, truths, videos, pictures, art and music with all of you here at TheFamily.com and on the social networks.  I have always loved the internet and how we can learn and share good truths with one another with caution because the wrong choices that can also be made here as well.

My motives are to share and publish peace and those truths and bits of knowledge and learning experiences I have had that are important to me and to help strengthen The Family.  Hopefully you will find some interesting things and like them or not and take the opportunity to share and respond. I do not write everything that I post here but also share and edit those things submitted to me thinking that you might enjoy or find amusing and informative. I thank my friends that graciously help me so willingly.  It is amazing what you can do when you don’t care who gets the credit.  I do recognize them!

Life is so good.  We are living here for a short time and we must make the most of our lives while we are here.  I have a great desire to learn and gain knowledge and understanding.  The glory of God is intelligence.  It probably was instilled in me because of my Mother and her family which are all educators and teachers.  I also love music and have a desire to share it as well as to always work hard, which was taught by example to me by my Father who worked hard all of his life and made sure that we, his children, did the same.

I love truth.  Truth helps one to make good choices.  Good choices are what make us better people.  I find that our God above knows all truth and is our creator, scientist, a passionate and loving God and Father to us His children.  I know that we lived before as spirit children with our heavenly parents and though for good reasons we don’t remember, I love trying to learn about those things.  I like learning why I am here, and what I can do to make sure I am moving forward in the right direction towards the fullness of joy so that I can return home to be with our eternal parents once again.  If that is what you like, you are at the right place.

There are laws and opposites in all things in this world.   It is so prevalent in our day and age of this world as we are living in the Last Days!  We have been saved to come forth during this particular time with the fullness of the gospel and best and the worst of life with almost everything we could ever want or need to know to improve ourselves.  There are things both good and bad, light and darkness, right and wrong, strength and weakness which are laws so that we become even stronger with the power to choose which ever of these things we want and desire to live.  The choices we make determine our level of happiness and joy.

Desire is a great word.  It also affects ones choices.  It is my desire and choice to befriend each and every one that comes here so that they might find something to improve their way of life and feel welcomed.   I am glad for all that are here and encourage you to participate.  I will delete anyone who offends, puts down, misjudges, uses inappropriate language or innuendoes or treats others wrongly.  I have a responsibility to monitor things that you and I share.  I will share only things with you that I feel is the truth and what is right and entertaining.

Truth is light.  The more truth and light we can acquire and learn in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  Yes, I believe that we lived as spirit children of God before we came here to get physical bodies so that we can become like our Godly parents who are creators.  That’s why love, marriage, and family are important and that we deny ourselves of all ungodliness and keep our creative sexual powers in control and sacred.  We are also practicing to become like our heavenly parents.   Like father like son.  Like Mother like daughter.  I believe that we all will live forever; that we are not human beings having spiritual experiences but, Spiritual beings, children of God, having human experiences. We face these spiritual and physical tests in this world with pleasure and pain and we must fight the ‘natural man’ which is an enemy to God.  It is all part of God’s Plan of Life.  I want all that I can get out of this life and I’m sure you do too.

I come from a family whose name is well known but I feel equal to each and every one of you.  I love to share those things that I like and that have blessed my life and that I have come to know as truths.  You may disagree with me but that is your choice as well.  I make mistakes as you may notice from time to time but I try hard to be accurate, tell the truth, stand for what’s right and don’t mind being corrected. I have learned that things are not always what some say they are and just today, I learned that even Snopes where we get verification of on things said and published is biased and has alterior motives.  Life is tough and a real test sometimes.  This is how we learn.  Making correct choices.

I felt badly this morning because someone wrote to me insisting that, “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is all we need and that works are not necessary.”  You know, I love discussing religious topics and discussing them, not arguing!  I told him that according to James 2in the scriptures, ‘faith without works is dead’ and showed him scriptures from the Bible that verified it.  He called me a CULT and said goodbye to my site.  First of all, I am not in a CULT!  I am a Christian and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the nickname of Mormon.  I have had several individuals ask for help to deal with life.  I tell them to check out our Church. If you want to know about Mormons, go to a Mormon Church and ask one. You will be most welcomed.  I also encourage them to get a FREE Book of Mormon.  It will change your life and contains many of the missing parts that were taken from the Bible.

I hope that when we deal with each other we give each other the benefit of the doubt and that we have no motives in what we say and do.  We all have been raised from different backgrounds with teachings that vary at times.  He was right in that Jesus is The Way and that we all must accept Him in order to be resurrected and to live again after we die which we all will . . . but where?  John 14: 2 says, “In my Father’s house and I have prepared a place for you.” There are also many levels of light or truth. There is also the fullness of truth and light.  A little light or knowledge is good but the more light and truth we attain in this world the better and more accurate our choices will be.

I am a Christian, and I know and believe in Jesus Christ and am not ashamed of His gospel and accept Him as my Savior.  I also know that we are expected to learn and to choose well in this life.  Yes, we will make mistakes and  Jesus knew that and thus died for us to help us pay our debt for sin.  What ever mistakes have been made and repented of, except for murder, there is hope that we can be forgiven.  We each were born and will die alone and are responsible for ourselves and what choices we make.  I also know that we are also expected to work for what we get.  Nothing good comes easy!

I have a love for the scriptures as far as they have been translated correctly and what we have been given as truth.  Sometimes those truths have been lost, taken away, misinterpreted and even changed and distorted by some for personal gain and money. There are also more hidden records and writings of scripture that are still coming forth witnessing further that Jesus is the Christ.  I will never knowingly share untruths with my friends.  I don’t have any reason or ulterior motives to make anything financially by having this website. It would be nice but in fact, it costs me money and time.  But I do it because I am having a good time and making friends as well as it is helping me grow.  I do share those things that I have found like the natural essential oils for good health with tips that have helped me physically plus I share spiritual and personal experiences.   I have sometimes even offered things that I believe will bless others lives that are for sale.  But, there is nothing wrong with that if it is good and fair.

Religion is an important and a big issue that should not be taken lightly, bashed or to cause bad feelings with one another.  It is an individual’s belief system.  I talk about it often and share scriptures because if we are not interested in who we are and what we can become, then we are not fulfilling our purposes here on earth.  We also have a responsibility to each other to warn and to help one another.  We each can accept or deny it.

I have been blessed with goodly parents who taught me about God, religion and truths that support my reality here on earth.  My Mother was an educator and a theologian and studied all religions.  She taught me that we all have truths and things in common with our various religions.  Some have more truths than others but that doesn’t make them all wrong. It just gives us choices with which to choose.  I do believe that Jesus organized His Church and that it is here once again here on the earth today with the fullness of the gospel to help us obtain those sacred ordinances and promises that will get us to the highest mansions in heaven.  Unfortunately, there have been truths lost and doctrines changed from the past for greed, money, and power which are all traits of the adversary or Satan.

Our purpose here in life is to decipher what is truth or not, and to choose that which will get us the closest to our God above and His eternal kingdoms where He dwells.   I choose to become the best person I can while on this earth and work hard to improve my mind, my body, my personality, and my reputation as a son of God.  I hope you will continue to trust me in my efforts and join in and share with me when you feel the same.  At the same time, have fun!

I welcome your thoughts and comments.  I am open and not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am bold and speak out for truth.  I also like to have a good laugh once in a while.  I try not to be disrespectful of others but have to stand up and speak out now and then when I see or hear things that are not true, lies, or that are not the best for us as individuals.  I respect our leaders of government but honestly feel that there is much corruption and self serving ulterior motives today with lies and  secret dealings under the table that go on by conspiring men, which was prophesied would happen, to control and take over and create a new world order, which was Satan’s desire.  It would limit and put down our God given freedoms of this blessed and promised land.  I will speak out when I feel things are not right.  I will stand up for truth and justice.  I will stand with Israel.  I care deeply for the one, the individual, the person who is sincere without any judgment of race or creed, upper or lower class, healthy or sick, rich or poor.  I truly believe we are all brothers and sisters, even children of God, and we need to be of One Heart in helping one another to be happy, well, and successful in this life.

Thanks for the visit and letting me share my heart with all of you with the hopes of making us better friends and this world a better place to live.  It all starts with faith, hope, charity, love, marriage and the family. Life is important.  We all were born to become something eternal and everlastingly important.  We are better than what we think we are and we deserve all the opportunities to prove it and gain further truth and knowledge.  Freedom is Godly.  It is light.  It is truth.  We can become what we want to be if we be what we want to become!

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” 2 Ne. 25: 26

Alan Osmond
For The Family

(I always share a picture with my wife Suzanne because we are as ‘One’ in everything we do.)