By Alan on Feb 20 in Blog tagged choices, evil, good, history, records, repeats, right, wrong | 1 Comment

[[: History re- | peats itself :]]

Have you ever done something that seems familiar as if though you have done it before?

With the history of this world, there is such a pattern that keeps reoccurring where certain conditions keep repeating.  So it is with the laws and battle of good versus evil in the gospel or church of life.  Ever since the creation of this world, the laws of ‘opposites in all things’, has offered us choices in this world.

From ancient records we read it having occurred over and over again and it is now happening with us again in these last days!

“For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness;”

And the converse:

” And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.

And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.

And thus they did prosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church.”

We each have ‘the power to choose’.  For this purpose, have we come to this world to be proven in all things and to make known unto ourselves and our God the way of life we desire to live.  Of course, those who choose wickedness will seem this to be absurd where as the righteous will acknowledge its validity.

The important fact is that we are living in the last dispensation of the fullness of times when the forces of righteousness and wickedness are both raging in their fulness upon the earth.  As recorded in the history books of God’s children on earth, there has been recorded over time the dealings with these choices.  There is also being recorded at this time the final choices we each are making in the battle over good and evil.  We each will be on record with those choices we make. 

Because Jesus Christ paid the price for our mistakes, if we choose to come unto Him and seek repentance, we can be forgiven of our past and be found standing in good stead again.

At the conclusion of this war, Jesus Christ will once again return to the earth to rule and reign in righteousness for a thousand years.

Ask yourself, “With which of the two forces do you stand and choose to live?”

When we return to our God above, how will ‘your song’ be sung?

We know how this story of life ends!  Choose well!

Alan Osmond
For The Family

By Alan on Feb 12 in Blog tagged addictions, alchohol, beliefs, commandments, compass, drugs, Jesus Christ, laws of God, Lord, moral, Moses, movies, opposite, pornography, profanity, religion, right, sex, sin, society, standards, television, the Last Days, The Osmonds, troubled times, wrong | Comments Off

It’s Gotta Be The Last Days

“We have come to the earth in troubled times. The moral compass of the masses has gradually shifted to an “almost anything goes” position.

I’ve lived long enough to have witnessed much of the metamorphosis of society’s morals. Where once the standards of your religion and beliefs, and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider.

Many movies and television shows portray behavior which is in direct opposition to the laws of God. Do not subject yourself to the innuendo and outright filth which are so often found there. The lyrics in much of today’s music fall in the same category. The profanity so prevalent around us today would never have been tolerated in the not-too-distant past. Sadly, the Lord’s name is taken in vain over and over again. Recall with me the commandment—one of the ten—which the Lord revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” I am sorry that any of us is subjected to profane language, and I plead with you not to use it. I implore you not to say or to do anything of which you cannot be proud.

Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome. Avoid alcohol and tobacco or any other drugs, also addictions which you would be hard pressed to conquer.

What will protect you from the sin and evil around you?

I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior and of His gospel will help see you through to safety.”  Thomas S. Monson

“It’s Gotta Be The Last Days”

LISTEN: The Last Days

“It’s Gotta Be The Last Days”

“Nations take up their battle stations.
Patrons of zodiac revelations.
Lustations breaking family relations.
Litigation allowing shoot-up sensations.
That’s what they said
Some day it woiuld be.
Now just look around,
if that’s what we see…
It’s gotta be the Last Days.
Gotta be the Last Days.

People living lives of confusion.
Millions caught up in revolution.
Cities  lost in their own pollution.
Question, what is the constitution?
That’s what they said
Some day it woiuld be.
Now just look around,
if that’s what we see…
It’s gotta be the Last Days.
Gotta be the Last Days.”

Written and Sung by: The Osmonds
© 1972

Scriptural Warnings:

“For their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening with destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.” Helaman 5:2

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God”.  2 Timothy 3:1-4

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“I know of nothing in the history… of the world to compare with our present circumstances. Nothing happened in Sodom and Gomorrah which exceeds in wickedness and depravity that which surrounds us now. Words of profanity, vulgarity, and blasphemy are heard everywhere. Unspeakable wickedness and perversion were once hidden in dark places; now they are in the open, and even accorded legal protection. At Sodom and Gomorrah these things were localized. Now, they are spread across the world, and they are among us”.

Boyd K. Packer
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

For The Family

By Alan on Oct 21 in Audio, Blog tagged evil, good, home, Jesus Christ, light, right, tdarkness, the devil, The Family, war, we are at war, wrong | Comments Off

WE ARE AT WAR

Through all the fast-paced changes occurring around us, we earnestly pray and work to ensure that the values of the gospel of Jesus Christ endure. Already some of them are in jeopardy of being lost. At the top of the list of these values and, therefore, prime targets of the adversary, are the sanctity of marriage and the central importance of families. They provide an anchor and the safe harbor of a home where each child of a loving Heavenly Father can be influenced for good and acquire eternal values.

Lessons taught in the home by goodly parents are becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread. As we know, he is attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society—the family. In clever and carefully camouflaged ways, he is attacking commitment to family life throughout the world and undermining the culture and covenants of faithful and religious families. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility. While other institutions such as church and school can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she] should go” (Proverbs 22:6), this responsibility ultimately rests on the parents. According to the great plan of happiness, it is goodly parents who are entrusted with the care and development of Heavenly Father’s children.

The first instruction to Adam for his mortal responsibility is found in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. …

“… By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”

We believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation. But it is wonderful to see husbands and wives who have worked out real partnerships where they blend together their influence and communicate effectively both about their children and to their children.

The onslaught of wickedness against our children is more subtle and brazen than it has ever been. Building a strong family culture adds another layer of protection for our children, insulating them from worldly influences.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

Alan & Suzanne Osmond
For The Family

By Alan on Jan 07 in Blog tagged bad, beginning, Chaismus phrase, children to the fathers, dreadful day, earth be smitten with a curse, Elijah, end, evil, Glenn Beck, good, great day, half empty, half full, importance, Jesus Christ, light darkness, prophecy, right, righteous, scriptures, The Great and Dreadful Day, the Last Days, the Lord, turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, wrong | Comments Off

The idea of the coming of the Lord as a Great and Dreadful day is a chaismus phrase highlighting details of particular importance.  It will be a great day and it will be a dreadful day depending upon each individual’s view of the return of the Lord.  It is a point of view of how one sees it. 

It is a Chiastic pattern or ring structure used as a literary device applied to narrative motifs that is commonly seen in ancient literature and in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, to emphasize, parallel, or contrast concepts or ideas to give meaning to their writings or to highlight details.

The details of the Coming of the Lord to some will be a GREAT DAy and a DREADFUL DAY to others.  It depends on how you have lived your life and what place Jesus Christ plays in your life.

There are opposites in all things.  Where there is Good, there is Bad; Righteous, Evil; On, Off; Light, Darkness; Right, Wrong; Beginning, End.

To some a glass of water is half full; to others half empty.

It is all in how one looks at things.  Life can be looked at the same way; from both sides; Up and Down.

In a song I wrote it sings, “Life is just what you make it. Life is just what you want it to be.”  It can be a Great Life or a Dreadful life.  You Make the Bed You Sleep In.

Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.” 2 Ne. 2: 11-13

In this there can be found hope:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Rom. 15: 4

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” 2 Ne. 31: 20

If you believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ, then you should look forward to the Second Coming of The Lord

Scriptures teach us about that day:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”  Mal. 4: 5

“BEHOLD, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”  D&C 2: 1

Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come— To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse— Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.”  D&C 110: 14

“After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:

Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—  To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse— Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.”  D&C 110: 13-16

No one, not even the angels in heaven knows exactly when Jesus Christ shall return.  There are events or experiences that God gives to people to show that something important in his work has happened or will soon happen. They are called, ‘The Signs of the Times‘. In the latter days, many signs for the second coming of the Savior have been prophesied. These signals allow faithful people to recognize God’s plan, be warned, and prepare.

I like Glenn Beck’s take on the future:  “Tomorrow Can and Will Be Better.” He expresses it in a chiastic form.  Which way do you read it?

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Alan Osmond For The Family

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By Alan on Dec 31 in Daily Inspiration tagged count youir blessings, family & friends, Happy New years, Jesus Christ, Lord, pray, regret, remember, right, sober, who you are | Comments Off

Enjoy this New Years!  Spend it with family and friends.  Do what is right and don’t let the other guy or gal persuade you to do something you will regret!  Stay sober.  Be chaste.  Have a Pure Heart and a Contrite Spirit.

Count your blessings!  Stop and pray for your family and friends and give thanks that you are alive!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT unto your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge HIM and HE will direct your path!

The Family

By Alan on Oct 28 in Blog tagged actions, children of God, choices, commandments, DANGER, darkness, disobey, eternal principle, eternally, exaltation, free agency, Freedom, freedom to choose, Heavenly Father, Jesus, judgement, liberty, light, like father like son, obey, principle, progress, resitance, results, right, Satan, temptation, The Plan of Salvation, warning, wtong | Comments Off

By Alan on Apr 27 in Daily Inspiration tagged choose, do what's right, everlasting death, never be fearful, right, The Family, the right way, the way of eternal life, theFamily | Comments Off

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”

“Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to ^cact for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”
2 Ne. 10: 23

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For The Family

By Alan on Feb 08 in Blog tagged bad, consequences, devil, good, Jesus, life, right, Satan, school, test, the way, truth, wrong | Comments Off

Do you remember the old TV Game Show called “Truth or Consequences”?
Well, Life is the SAME … but IT IS NOT A GAME!

You were born with the freedom to choose. In heaven, before this world, you chose freedom. It caused a war in heaven!

There were two plans or choices of how we would live our lives on earth.  Satan presented his and Jesus presented His.  We were allowed to choose ‘The Way’ of Everlasting Darkness, OR ‘The Way’ of Eternal Life!  2 Ne. 10: 23
Two thirds chose Jesus’s way and it caused a war.  One third were removed from heaven and even denied being able to have a body of flesh and bones.  You are here today because you chose Jesus’s Way.

Your “WAY” of Life is your Choice!  It still is!

What you chose in heaven determined where you are today. What you choose today will determine where you will be, tomorrow.

You may say, “I don’t believe that! There is no God. It makes no difference what I do. I can eat, drink, love, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. I want what ever and all that I can to get ahead in life and I’ll do anything that will make me rich, famous and popular with no worries about tomorrows except that which is good for me today!”  If that is the case, then someday you will know great sorrow.

None of us remember our past life for a good reason. Our memories were blocked from our life before because we are now in a “School of Life”, and we are being TESTED! Have you ever gone to school where you were not tested? If we could remember our past, it would be like cheating and would not be fair because we would already have the answers.

We are God’s children and He is testing our hearts and minds plus those creative powers we have to create life that He lets us ‘test-drive’ these bodies of ours as co-creators of life to see if we are ready to advance; to grow up and become more like our Heavenly father and mother, both creators, as children always do. Like Father . . . Like Son. Like Mother . . . like Daughter.

This is God’s ‘Plan or School of Life’. We all will die to end the “TEST”. That’s okay because our spirit bodies live forever. And, because of Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice that He gave for us to help pay our debts for all of our mistakes and “bad choices and bad grades” in this school…we will be resurrected like Him and have our bodies reunited with our spirit bodies to never be separated again. Doesn’t this make sense?  There are opposites in all things! There is Light…and there is Darkness. There is Male…and there is Female. Right and Wrong; Up and Down;. Left or Right; Good and Bad; Life and Death.

Much time has passed and we are living in the last dispensation of the fullness of time. This world has been turning around for many, many centuries. There has been War . . . and there has been Peace. Happiness and Sorrow. There have been wrongs and there have been rights. We each were born into this world with those unalienable rights and freedoms to choose and to make choices.   Jesus came to show us The Way of everlasting life.  Satan showed us His Way of Life which is everlasting darkness.   2 Ne. 10: 23

If you find yourself with guilt, pain and suffering for bad choices that you have made in your life and wish that you could change, you can! Remember that Jesus continues to say, no matter how dark your sins may be, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; if you “Come Follow Me”.  With faith and repentance and baptism to wash away your sins, and in receiving the Holy Ghost from Jesus or one of His anointed servants who has been given the authority to act in His name, The Holy Spirit can help guide your ‘way’ through life. You can be forgiven of your mistakes and sins if you will humble your hearts, take these steps, and make promises to follow the Lord.  If not, you will be following Satan, the father of all lies; the evil doer and the fallen son of darkness who was denied a body of flesh and bones and who lives in outer darkness with fire and damnation, or Hell with his followers.  Damned? Yes, just like a dam or reservoir that holds water back, you will be held back from your eternal progression.

So, lets wake up and get rid of those ‘clothes of darkness’ covered with mistakes and sins and put on the ‘robes of righteousness’ and light, or TRUTH, and ‘choose ye this day whom ye will serve’! Otherwise there will be CONSEQUENCES!

It’s your choice whether you WIN or LOSE! This is NOT a ‘Game of Life’ … but God’s ‘Plan of Life’.

It’s the Truth! Jesus is THE WAY!Learn more?

By Alan Osmond on Jan 04 in Blog tagged challenge, choice, choose, darkness, devil, dreadful, endure, Good Bad, Great, Jesus, Left, light, quit, right, Satan, test, The Plan, the way, wrong | Comments Off

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Traffic In My Mind
By The Osmond Brothers

I got traffic in my mind, yeah.
Don’t know which road to follow.
I got traffic in my mind, yeah.
I’m all alone flyin’ solo.
I got questions lookin’ at me,
answers tryin’ to find me.
Everybody telling me what they don’t know.
I got traffic in my mind, yeah.
Don’t know which road to follow.
I see blind men leading blind men,
and telling us how to make it.
I get better answers watching
some little kid trying to fake it.
So tell me who am I?
Why am I here?
Where in heaven’s name am I goin’?
I got traffic in my mind, yeah.
Don’t know which road to follow.
So tell me who am I?
Why am I here?
Where in heaven’s name am I goin’?
I got traffic in my mind, yeah.
Don’t know which road to follow.
Which road should I follow?
Don’t know which road to follow.

President Harold B. Lee, Prophet, Seer, and Revelatory,  told our family in 1973 that whenever we  had choices to make, whether it was where we lived, the job we had, or the friends we keep, that we would always have at least two choices.  He then said, “Always choose that which will get you closest to the Celestial Kingdom.”

Scriptures remind us:  ”Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”  2 Ne. 10: 23

This advice has helped our family in making many choices personally and professionally.

By Alan on Nov 15 in Blog tagged baptism, faith, Holy Ghost, Kimball., love, obedience, pray, repent, right, suffering, test, trial, wrong | Comments Off

President Kimball, a Prophet of God, was of great help to our family when we had most important decisions to make regarding where we live, the business we are in, the friends we keep, and in making choices.

He gave us understanding when we had trials and would be tested when he declared, “[But] to each person is given a pattern—obedience through suffering, and perfection through obedience.”

Their pathway was straight, uncluttered, unbending: they were to live the commandments of God and endure to the end. Today, we know how we should live. We know right from wrong.

We are to teach and train our children in the ways of the Lord. Children should not be left to their own devices in learning character and family values, or listening to and watching unsupervised music or television or movies as a means of gaining knowledge and understanding as to how to live their lives!

The Lord has clearly commanded that parents are to teach their children to do good (see Alma 39:12)—and to teach them “the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, [or] the sin [shall] be upon the heads of the parents.” (D&C 68:25.)

“And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.” (D&C 68:28.)

“And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God. …

“But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.” (Mosiah 4:14–15.)

A concerned God—by his own finger—wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. They represent the basic law of the Almighty and have formed the underlying elements of civil and religious law ever since.

The Sermon on the Mount, given by our Lord Himself, details principles and instructions of heavenly origin.

Both of these divine statements of instruction—principles of which are so effectively taught in much greater detail in the Book of Mormon and the Bible and our other scriptures—if obeyed, will strengthen mothers and fathers and sons and daughters, who all have equal duty to study the scriptures and gain strength and understanding of eternal things.

The only sure way to protect ourselves and our families from the onslaught of the teachings of the world is to commit to live the commandments of God, to attend our Church meetings where we can learn and be strengthened in our testimonies and partake of the sacrament to renew our covenants, to prepare ourselves to worthily enter the temple where we may find a refuge from the world and a place of renewal of our capacity to cope with the evils of the world.