Choice

CHOICE
Synonyms:
Adjudication, finding, decide, agency

Antonyms:
Disagreement, beginning, indecision, refusal

			Inability
		Force ,		Weakness
	Constraining,		Refraining,		Remaining
Captivity ,		Sadness,		Liberty,		Gladness
	Releases,		Allows light,		Blesses
		Growth,		Expansion
			Choice

A Cupcake Recipe to Life

BUTTER:
Butter creates the tenderness and moisture.
Showing compassion and loving kindness can lead to tender hearts.

SUGAR:
Sugar, of course is needed for sweetness.
When we notice the goodness in life, and have an attitude of gratitude, life is sweet!

EGGS:
Eggs preform a variety of tasks, but basically they hold it all together.
When we put Christ at the center of our focus, our lives will be held together and our actions will be right.

VANILLA:
Vanilla adds flavor to the recipe and helps so that it doesn't taste bland.
We can add flavor to our lives by living the gospel with joy. The commandments are exciting things! They allow freedom and help you to not have to live a dull, bland, sad life.

BAKING SODA:
Baking soda or powder ensured that they will rise.
When we make worthy goals for ourselves, we can aspire to rise higher and achieve greatness!

FLOUR:
Flour provides substance and structure. Without it, we could have a sticky mess!
We need to structure ourselves and discipline our actions so we don't make a sticky mess of choices.

SALT:
A pinch of salt will balance the other ingredients and complete the overall flavor.
It's the little things in life such as reading your scriptures, saying your prayers, and the small daily necessities that really count and add balance to your life.

A Theme of Change

Change

Time is turning.
Leaves are changing.
Souls are yearning.
Thoughts are ranging.

Things transforming
All around me.
Newness forming
A grand beauty.

The outside world
Seems to reflect
Feelings unfurled
And intelect.

Colors are bright
Red, orange, gold.
Early twilight
Year's getting old.

The crisp fall breeze
Freshens my my mind.
The change, with ease
Makes thoughts aligned.

The year is turning
And so am I
As I'm learning
Impressions fly.

Change in seasons
Change of heart
Change in reason

Change is art

There are so many changes happening in the world and in our individual lives and in my heart.
Change can be hard, but it is vital.

Change is needed
For the world to thrive
It is the groundwork
Of our lives.

It's needed for
Our growth and good
Through it, feelings are
Understood.

Change is freedom
When we embrace
The changes we
All must face.

It's the cycles
Of season and time
With it the threads of truth
Do unwind.


What does division have to do with change?
As people, sometimes we are diveded against ourselves, or against God. Through humility, we can CHANGE and mend that division.
The principle of Dyad illistrates the 2 coming together to accomplish the goal of becoming 1.

Through humility our individual purpose can become one with God's.

Some keys to humility:
Prayer
Repentance
Keeping the comandments
Honoring Covanants

Acting on God's will shows humility.

Consecrated Change:

I'm feeling seperated
And kind of isolated.
Inwardly desolated,
I see a need for change.

My thought's are agrivated.
Myself I've reprobated.
I've long evaluated
How I ought to change.

As I have formulated,
I become motivated.
I am now dedicated
To bring about the change.

Ambitions generated,
But as I've long awaited
I'm newley educated
In cause that I can't change.

Alone, enfuriated,
The things I've estimated
Have not yet indicated
Good results for change.

I then prayed and meditated
I become envigorated.
My fear is evaporated.
I know how I can change.

Jesus Christ, for us created
An atonement and He's waited.
He's also Inculcated
The path to perfect Change.

The light is coruscated.
I am so fascinated!
My acts are corralated
With newfound humble change.

My mind is illuminated.
It's no longer complicated.
My joy is elevated.
I have become changed.

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman, 1819 - 1892

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,

Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe

    and strong,

The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,

The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off

    work,

The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the

    deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,

The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing

    as he stands,

The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the

    morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,

The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at

    work, or of the girl sewing or washing,

Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,

The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young

    fellows, robust, friendly,

Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs

Zion is composed of many differences that work together to make one whole.
America's people all have different talents, occupations, and areas of strength. In order for our nation to function, we need to morally implicate our individual talents for the benefit of others. When we use our talents to bless others, unity prevails and our nation will abound in freedom.

To make sure that the use of our talents aren't selfish and wasted, we must have our sight set on God.
Our focus must always remain on Him. When we use our talents according to His will, we are fulfilling another part of His plan for us.

How then, do we share our talents being focused on God?
We must practice service. Service transforms our hearts, and fills them full of love. When we are serving others, we are serving God, and therefore doing His will.
So if you are using your talents to serve others, you are on the right track!

Keeping your eyes open for opportunities of service and then taking those opportunities, can really strengthen character. When you are striving constantly and consistently to do God's will, you are becoming more like Him.

At baptism, we have made a covenant and are expected to "take His name upon us'. That means we are literal representations of Jesus Christ. Now THAT'S a big responsibility! It seems a little scary, daunting, and hard sometimes to always try to represent Christ,  but we must remember that it is through Him that we can accomplish that.

His Atonement unlocks the gate into becoming pure in heart, and taking His name upon us.

I know that when we keep our eyes open for opportunities of service, and have a spirit of love and a pure heart through the atonement of Jesus Christ, then we can use our talents to build the kingdom of God and have a literal impact of our nation for good, and forever.

A 'Conjumble' of Thoughts

Do you ever feel like you just have a bunch of thoughts bouncing around inside your brain, and you can't think of what to think of those thoughts?
I know I do. So, I decided to make a mess and dump some of mine all over the place on this piece of paper.

Who knows what we'll find in this hodgepodge?

Lately I've been wondering if we have complete control over what enters our minds.
People say Satan or God can "Put" thoughts in our minds, so do we even get to choose what pops in our heads?
 I've been doing a bit of praying, pondering, and primitively speculating, and I've come to a couple of conclusions:
 We decide what kind of thoughts we have. Heavenly Father and Satan both have thoughts ready for you to accept, but ultimately we are the selectors of our own thoughts.
 Picture this: Imagine your brain with two doors on either side of it. Both doors lead to the same room, and in that room is a little person. We'll call him Agency. On the outside of both doors are two other people. One is dressed in white and carries a bag full of eternal love. We'll call Him God. The other is dark and carries a bag full of many deceiving lies. Let's call him Satan.
Both are knocking on their doors wanting that little person to let them in so they can dump their bags into the room. The only one who can decide which door Agency will open, is YOU.
But the room is never really empty. You are constantly directing Agency to open a door. You can only let one door be opened at a time though. God and His bag of blessings can't be in the room at the same time as Satan and his bag of deceit.

Scientists can't figure out where the origin of our thoughts come from, but it is my belief that they come from the sources of Good and Evil, and it is our choice who and which we allow to enter.

The power of our thoughts is startlingly immense, for once we decide who will be inside 'the room of our brain', either God, or Satan, will start talking with Agency and begin to have a tremendous influence on him. That then determines our actions and actions determine who we become.

So! That sometimes seemingly insignificant 'conjumble of thoughts' hoping around in our brain are really the deciding factors of our character. That's why it is crucial that we choose to let God be in our thoughts. Let us strive to constantly put our focus on doing His will, and the 'bag of blessings' that await will be glorious indeed.

Question and Answer Essay: Conquering in the midst of Corruption

CONQUERING IN THE MIDST OF CORRUPTION:


(Intro) PUNKS AND CANDY:
Imagine one day someone says to you "Hey! Yo! I own you now. Could you go work in that candy factory for me, and give me all the money and candy you earn?"
That wouldn't seem right, would it? It's completely unfair, unjust, and unnecessary.

Well, in the 1800's people were having this kind of problem. Not that some random punks were making other people give them candy, but slavery was being practiced across the nation.
A lot of questions may arise when discussing points of slavery, a few of which I'd like to address.


What makes something 'unjust' in the first place? How can we as people reason what is fair, and what is not?

WE HAVE POWER TO DECIPHER:
Well, a long time ago, we were all once spirits. We were divine, and were endowed with something called intelligence. That means we could reason. That gift distinguishes us from any other creature.
With this gift, we can monitor what is right and wrong. This common sense, this light of Christ, is in us all.

Natural law revolves around that reasoning power. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness are rights that we should all be entitled to, and for the most part, we are.

But, it wasn't always that way. The practice of slavery obviously encroached upon all of those rights.

WHAT ABOUT RESTRICTED RIGHTS?
Enter with me into the heart of such a human being. Imagine feeling like your essence was owned by another. Your fate is in someone else's hands, and what's worse, it's not your fault. Imagine the cruelty, injustice, and sense of restriction you would feel.


To me, that would probably be one of the worst, if not the worst kind, of emotion you could ever have.

In Uncle Tom's Cabin we see examples of those feelings and the sense of complete darkness and loss.
But there's also a very prominent other side to things. What about Tom? He was 'owned' and sold and went through a lot of brutality and abuse as well, and yet, he had a light....
Is it it possible to have something to hold on to even in when you seem to be living inside hell itself?

IS IT POSSIBLE?
I believe it is possible. Tom was an example of that. His light came from the peace that comes from the Love of God and living true to that love.
But where did he find love? In the jaws of suffering, inside the cage of restricted action, living the meaning of unjust force itself, where did Tom find love?

He found it in the constant, devoted, unfeigned actions of unselfish giving and endless service.
He emulated the love he felt from God, and therefore had that spirit of true freedom always in his heart.
 But if that love was so powerful, and if God is so good, why would he let this kind of suffering happen?
If men are that they might have joy, why is there such sadness?

WHY IS THERE SADNESS IF GOD WANTS US TO HAVE JOY?

In

2 Corinthians 8:2  it says:

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 

1 Peter 1:7

• New Testament

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

Matthew 5:4

• New Testament

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted

Alma 1:25

• Book of Mormon

Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them. 

Ether 12:6

• Book of Mormon

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
SO ARE WE HERE TO SUFFER?!


I don't believe this is saying that we're all here on this earth to suffer and have trials. We are here to witness joy, but without the hard things, we wouldn't be able to experience the beauty of true happiness.
The Lord lets bad things happen, because without them there would be no joy.

So, am I implying that slavery was a good thing, because it helped us value the price of freedom? NO! Not necessarily. Slavery was horrible in every possible way. What I'm trying to say is that, opposition, however abominable, is all part of God's plan- yes the plan of happiness.

ATONEMENT IS KEY:
The atonement was the act that balanced the forces of mercy and justice. Through that, we can be sanctified and have the true peace and Love of God which we can share with others.

(Conclusion:) WE CAN CONQUER!
We may not have random punks making people work for candy, but there are many injustices happening in our world right now, and with that sanctifying Love of God, we can be like Uncle Tom and help others find that love for themselves. 
As we are conquers of corruption and devoted disciples of Christ, we can worthily say: "What a thing 'tis to be Christian!"

The Quest for One-ness

Darkness of doubt, roller coasters of reality, clouds of confusion and storms of skepticism.
Does this not describe the world we live in? Does it not paint a picture of our feelings as human beings sometimes?
I know that at times I am weighed down by the world's distorted image of life and happiness.
How do we escape? How do we break free of the bars that are so often portrayed to be closing us in?




It was a gloomy Monday afternoon, and I was pondering these things. I felt a desperate desire to be on the pursuit of truth, but a confusion of questions flooded my mind.
I was anxious to know how to be at one with myself and God. I wanted to know how I could be apart and unique, but also unified and one with those around me.

So, I started my search.

In the Hebrew alphabet, the first letter is Aleph. As I learned about this letter, I learned it had a deeper significance than just a Hebrew word for the letter "A". It symbolizes One-ness, God, Unity, the Beginning, Uniqueness and Completion.. It means Leader, Power, Strength. The letter itself is made out of 2 yods and a vav. The vav signifying a nail, and a nail signifying Christ.
I felt like this led me to a key: Christ. Through Christ, we can become true to ourselves through His grace, and also unified with others because that is what we do when we are true to ourselves.

But that led me to another question. How is being unified with others an outcome of Christ's atonement?

At-one-ment. One simply needs to split up the word to realize it unlocks the source of unity.
But how?

In Moroni 10:32 is says:
Yea, ^acome unto Christ, and be ^bperfected in him, and ^cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and ^dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be ^eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God

And in verse 33:
 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye ^asanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the ^bblood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your ^csins, that ye become ^dholy, without spot.



According to this scripture, it looks like we must deny ourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all our might mind and strength, and that is key to sanctification, perfection, and ONENESS.

So how do we deny ourselves of all ungodliness?
That, I believe, is a matter of diligence, practice, humility and faith.
If we deny ourselves of all ungodliness, we are ridding ourselves of pride.
Pride, is the fear of man, and since faith is the opposite of fear, we must cast out pride and fear with faith.

So, we must have faith, trust God and get ride of our pride, so we can steer ourselves by the light of His will. Charity is an act of Faith.
As we do that, and use the atonement when we make a wrong turn, then we can become at one with God, those around us, and ourselves.

I've also found that the Lord, and nature like to work in circles.
The circle also represents 1 and wholeness. It is the shape that holds the most space, with the smallest perimeter. I think this could represent the simplicity of faith and its power will be more beneficial than any other way of living.

What is life without hope? And what is hope without faith? And what is faith without God?

And that leads us back to the beginning again. Like a cycle!
Here's the circular principle that has covered and rounded out the answers:

So, we must Love God first. We show that love through Coming unto Christ, serving others and using the atonement when we fail and lose sight of our purpose. Stronger now, we can become more at one with God, others, and ourselves, and we can better show our love for God, by coming unto Christ and serving others and using the atonement when we fail and lose sight of our purpose. Sound familiar? That's because its a cycle!
And it all revolves around Faith. If you truly Love Him, you will trust Him, and that is what faith is.
Once you trust Him, you can let Him guide you, and as you do His will, you become one with Him, and if you are one with Him, you serve and become one with others, because that's how you show you are one with Him. Do you see the cycle?


It really all comes down to having the same purpose. If  you and Heavenly Father have the same purpose, you are one.

This scripture illustrates that principle nicely:
D&C 35: 2
 I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was ^acrucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will ^bbelieve on my name, that they may become the ^csons of God, even ^done in ^eme as I am ^fone in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.

Believing in His name, comes with having the same purpose, because when you act on that belief (or faith) you are showing that your purpose is aligned with God's.

And that is the solution to being free and being at one. Following these truths will allow you to be in the world, but not of it, although so much darkness might be trying to penetrate you. Just remember to use your unique individual talents to amplify the Lords purposes, and you will find peace and oneness with the Lord, those around you, and yourself.

History/Geography-Journeyman

The Woman's March on Versailles was basically a march led by the market women on October 5 1789 during the French revolution.
They were tired of the high prices and need for bread.
The mob grew to thousands. They ransacked the the city armory and made their way to the palace.
Full of force, vengeance, and revenge, they besieged the palace and fiercely made known their wants to the kind (Louis XVI).
The next day they forced the king and his family to go back with them to Paris.
This event helped end Royal authority and kindled a fire of Independence in the hearts of the people.
The march represented a new Balance of power.
The French were making it known to the world that they would now stand on their own two feet and do what it took to get rid of the power of French nobility.

Eureka-Ponder Question

In the vernacular of mechanics, work is the force applied to an object multiplied by the
distance traveled. In other words, even if you push as hard as you can against an object,
if it isn’t moving, you aren’t producing work. Think about aspects of your life where you
seem to be putting forth a lot of effort but not getting anywhere. What forces or obstacles
are keeping you from making progress? What can you do to remove or mitigate the
effects of these forces or obstacles? Prayerfully record your impressions regarding these questions.

Well, the first thing I thought of as an 'obsticall that wont move' was family members. Lets admit it. They can be hard to get along with sometimes! 
But as I think about it, really I'm the obstical to myself because I can choose wether or not to be annoyed with people.
So, I guess the answer to solving this problem would to practice loving and serving and speaking nicely and creating unity with my family. 
:)

History&Geography-Great British in the 1700s. 😃😃:-)

The 1700s in Great Britian was a major changing point in the history of the world.

England and Scotland united togoether to make Great Britian in 1707.
Although it was an industrious time for great Britian, the ordinary people still suffered while the royal families were getting more and more powerful.

Here are some reasons why Britians power was increasing in the 1700s:
The people were getting smarter and more literate.
They invented the industrial trade and they traded Spices, tabaccos, cloth, food, all sorts of stuff.
Also, they had the hugest navy, and their battleships were giant!
They got a prime minister and political parties(like they still have in British today)
They didnt let roman catholics rule, so their protesyant relitives did instead.
But for ordinary citizens, life wasn't so dandy.
If you couldn't work, you starved, and if you couldn't afford a doctor, or medical help, then you died.
So, I think the reason that Great British was so powerful during this time was because of the authoritive power, but or necicerily because the people were doing so great......

Ok, so about the British acts.
Here's a website that describes them:
http://quizlet.com/15231863/all-about-the-british-acts-flash-cards/

I think its interesting how the British tried to get control by messing with property. They were taking over practicly everything they had, and I don't even want to think what it would be like if we hadn't revolted.
It makes me think about nowadays, and how the government is starting to inflict upon our property too, and it makes me wonder if we We will have to revolt, and if we do, who will be brave enough to stand?