Here is my favorite picture of Church President and Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. He was born today, June 23, 1910. We miss you!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Happy Birthday President Hinckley!
Here is my favorite picture of Church President and Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. He was born today, June 23, 1910. We miss you!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book of Mormon Musical
With the storms and power outages, this one was kind of rushed. Sorry!
So, I was gonna do a whole write-up about the new Book of Mormon Musical, and replace all references of Mormons, the Book of Mormon, and such with references to Muslims, Islam, and the Qur'an. I wanted to point out that if the musical had been about Islam, satirizing Muslims and Mohammed , the world would have been in flames. Likely there would have been riots, flag burnings, and public backlash here in the USA. But, thankfully(?), the musical is about Mormons, who would have no such reactions. By the way, why is it tolerable for the so-named "religion of peace" to act in such a way, but not for any others? Kind of a double standard. NOTE: I understand that not all Muslims are the same, I am in no way trying to generalize, just make a point. Anyways, yeah, scratch that. Instead, let me just post the LDS Church's response, which I think was perfect.
I believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It was saved for these last days, and provides us with more proof of Heavenly Father's love for ALL of his children, and proves that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Revelation never ends.
Once again, if you're going to, please flame responsibly, but first, watch this:
Thanks to Seth Smith for the video. His awesome blog can be found here.
So, I was gonna do a whole write-up about the new Book of Mormon Musical, and replace all references of Mormons, the Book of Mormon, and such with references to Muslims, Islam, and the Qur'an. I wanted to point out that if the musical had been about Islam, satirizing Muslims and Mohammed , the world would have been in flames. Likely there would have been riots, flag burnings, and public backlash here in the USA. But, thankfully(?), the musical is about Mormons, who would have no such reactions. By the way, why is it tolerable for the so-named "religion of peace" to act in such a way, but not for any others? Kind of a double standard. NOTE: I understand that not all Muslims are the same, I am in no way trying to generalize, just make a point. Anyways, yeah, scratch that. Instead, let me just post the LDS Church's response, which I think was perfect.
In response to news media requests, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued the following statement regarding the Broadway musical entitled The Book of Mormon:
"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."
Yup, pretty spot on. Also, they have started a pretty heavy advertising campaign in New York City.I believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It was saved for these last days, and provides us with more proof of Heavenly Father's love for ALL of his children, and proves that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Revelation never ends.
Once again, if you're going to, please flame responsibly, but first, watch this:
Thanks to Seth Smith for the video. His awesome blog can be found here.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Bountiful Baskets and a Bonzai Tree.
First off, I just want to point out that I have a really hard time not updating this blog every single day, multiple times a day. This is a serious study in self control for me. But fear not! Eventually I'll calm down and post only, like, once a week. Until then, READ EVERYTHING I PUT OUT, I DEMAND IT!!! That is all.
So we've started doing bountiful baskets again. Basically it's awesome. We place our order Monday night and pick up the basket on Saturday morning. For more info, go here. Bountiful Baskets is a co-op that we participated in in Utah, and now also in Texas, we were so excited to find out they did it here. In Utah it was basically run by the Fire Dept, as any excess foodstuffs were donated to the Fire Dept, which was cool. Here, I'm pretty sure it's just run by a bunch of mormons, which is less cool, but still, pretty cool. Anyways, point is, we get a lot of good produce for not a lot of money. This week, $15 got us this:
This consists of:
Also this week, Catherine bought me a Bonsai tree!! YAY!! I've always wanted one, and she got me one! It is actually a miniature Green Mound Juniper, and is an outside Bonsai. Did you know that "Bonsai" is not actually a type of tree, but a type of art form? Anyways, here's my Juniper Bonsai:
Yay!
So we've started doing bountiful baskets again. Basically it's awesome. We place our order Monday night and pick up the basket on Saturday morning. For more info, go here. Bountiful Baskets is a co-op that we participated in in Utah, and now also in Texas, we were so excited to find out they did it here. In Utah it was basically run by the Fire Dept, as any excess foodstuffs were donated to the Fire Dept, which was cool. Here, I'm pretty sure it's just run by a bunch of mormons, which is less cool, but still, pretty cool. Anyways, point is, we get a lot of good produce for not a lot of money. This week, $15 got us this:
This consists of:
- 1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
- 1 Bunch of Celery
- 1 Cantaloupe
- 1 Bunch of Bananas (did you know that bananas are slightly radioactive?)
- 1 Bag of Carrots
- 8 Plum Tomatoes
- 5 Fuji Apples
- 7 small Oranges
- 2 Zucchini
- 2 Cucumbers
- 7 Peaches
- 1lbs of Strawberries
- 5 Kiwis
Also this week, Catherine bought me a Bonsai tree!! YAY!! I've always wanted one, and she got me one! It is actually a miniature Green Mound Juniper, and is an outside Bonsai. Did you know that "Bonsai" is not actually a type of tree, but a type of art form? Anyways, here's my Juniper Bonsai:
Yay!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Greater the Struggle, the more Glorious the Triumph.
Nick Vujicic is an amazing person. Every time I see this video below, I freakin' tear up! So good!
He also recently participated in an awesome award winning short film entitled: "The Butterfly Circus". It's about 20 mins long, so if you get a chance, I recommend watching. But watch it alone, cuz you'll cry. Not saying I did, but I know you will.
k fine, I did, so what.
He also recently participated in an awesome award winning short film entitled: "The Butterfly Circus". It's about 20 mins long, so if you get a chance, I recommend watching. But watch it alone, cuz you'll cry. Not saying I did, but I know you will.
k fine, I did, so what.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Baptism for the Dead
For those who don’t know, or maybe if you’ve forgotten (yeah, yeah, I only have 3 followers, and yeah, you guys all know, but let me pretend like I have lots of loving followers all over the world, k?) I’m a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have a friend at work that has lots of questions about my religion and I LOVE IT! So here goes a try at answering one of her questions today, and I hope I do a good job!
Baptism for the Dead.
I think that before we can discuss this important topic, we first need to understand baptism, and the importance of that ordinance. Baptism is a Covenant we make with God, and one of the first of the Laws and Ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
second, Repentance;
third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;
fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Articles of Faith 1:3-4)
By being baptized we show God that we are willing to be obedient to his commandments. Jesus himself set the example by being baptized to fulfill all righteousness, even though he was without sin. (Matt 3:13-17; 2 Nephi 31:5-12)
A covenant is a two-way promise we make with God. We promise to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end. He covenants to send his Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) to be with us always. This is a big deal! Baptism is the entry gate to eternal life, and all who wish to enter therein must first pass by the waters of baptism. Baptism is essential for salvation in the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5; Mosiah 18:8-10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)
What about the people who never heard of Christ? Are they damned? They never got a chance to hear the gospel and accept Christ! That’s not very fair! What about those baptized without proper authority? This is where Heavenly Father’s great Plan of Salvation comes in, and the ordinance of Baptism for the dead. God’s mercy is manifest in the ordinances for the dead performed within his Holy Temples. We learn in 1 Corinthians 15:29 that baptism for the dead was even performed during the time of the New Testament Apostles.
Baptisms for the dead are performed by proxy, meaning a living person is baptized in behalf of a deceased person. The person acting as the proxy uses only the name of the deceased, and stands in for them. The Church keeps a record of all who have been baptized, living or deceased. Some think that after a baptism for the dead is performed, their names are added to the membership records of the church, this is not the case.
By performing these proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have passed away, the blessings and ordinances are offered to those individuals for whom the baptisms have been performed. These individuals in the next life can choose to accept or decline what has been done on their behalf. This isn’t about “forcing” people to become members of the church, merely offering to them the opportunity to either accept or refuse these saving ordinances themselves. Free Agency is also essential to salvation, and to take that from another person is against the plan of salvation. Coercion to obedience is not Heavenly Father’s way.
So there you have it, baptism for the dead in a bigger nutshell than I intended! Feel free to post comments and questions you may have. If you want, also feel free to email me your questions or comments, I would be happy to address any questions or concerns! (navarreval@gmail.com)
tl:dr edition courtesy Jeffrey Nicholas Carter:
"We have to be baptized to enter heaven. Read John 3:5 then read 1 Cor CH15.
And remember, if you're going to flame, please do so responsibly!
Baptism for the Dead.
I think that before we can discuss this important topic, we first need to understand baptism, and the importance of that ordinance. Baptism is a Covenant we make with God, and one of the first of the Laws and Ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
second, Repentance;
third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;
fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Articles of Faith 1:3-4)
By being baptized we show God that we are willing to be obedient to his commandments. Jesus himself set the example by being baptized to fulfill all righteousness, even though he was without sin. (Matt 3:13-17; 2 Nephi 31:5-12)
A covenant is a two-way promise we make with God. We promise to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end. He covenants to send his Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) to be with us always. This is a big deal! Baptism is the entry gate to eternal life, and all who wish to enter therein must first pass by the waters of baptism. Baptism is essential for salvation in the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5; Mosiah 18:8-10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)
What about the people who never heard of Christ? Are they damned? They never got a chance to hear the gospel and accept Christ! That’s not very fair! What about those baptized without proper authority? This is where Heavenly Father’s great Plan of Salvation comes in, and the ordinance of Baptism for the dead. God’s mercy is manifest in the ordinances for the dead performed within his Holy Temples. We learn in 1 Corinthians 15:29 that baptism for the dead was even performed during the time of the New Testament Apostles.
Baptisms for the dead are performed by proxy, meaning a living person is baptized in behalf of a deceased person. The person acting as the proxy uses only the name of the deceased, and stands in for them. The Church keeps a record of all who have been baptized, living or deceased. Some think that after a baptism for the dead is performed, their names are added to the membership records of the church, this is not the case.
By performing these proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have passed away, the blessings and ordinances are offered to those individuals for whom the baptisms have been performed. These individuals in the next life can choose to accept or decline what has been done on their behalf. This isn’t about “forcing” people to become members of the church, merely offering to them the opportunity to either accept or refuse these saving ordinances themselves. Free Agency is also essential to salvation, and to take that from another person is against the plan of salvation. Coercion to obedience is not Heavenly Father’s way.
So there you have it, baptism for the dead in a bigger nutshell than I intended! Feel free to post comments and questions you may have. If you want, also feel free to email me your questions or comments, I would be happy to address any questions or concerns! (navarreval@gmail.com)
tl:dr edition courtesy Jeffrey Nicholas Carter:
"We have to be baptized to enter heaven. Read John 3:5 then read 1 Cor CH15.
And remember, if you're going to flame, please do so responsibly!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Farewell to Utah and the Galbraiths.
So we'd been living in Utah since before we were married, but due to a recent layoff and transfer, we've decided to move back to the Dallas area of Texas. Before we left, my good friend Wes took me out for some fun trying to fling mud with his truck. I got some video on my phone, and (finally) threw it all together with some music. This one's for you Wes! Thanks man!
Visit the video on YouTube for descriptions and song details.
Visit the video on YouTube for descriptions and song details.
Monday, June 6, 2011
To name a blog...
Catherine wouldn't let me call it "Call of Booty." I tried to tell her it was pirate and gaming themed, but she wasn't buying it, and said: "No." I thought that was quite an eloquent and thought out argument, and I figured she had a point, so I couldn't bring myself to disagree.
So now we need a name for the blog. And no, I don't think she'll let me keep AAAHH MOTHERLAND!! either. So let's see if we can't drum up some comments! Anyone have a good creative name for our blog? Winner gets a prize! A surprise prize! YAY!
So now we need a name for the blog. And no, I don't think she'll let me keep AAAHH MOTHERLAND!! either. So let's see if we can't drum up some comments! Anyone have a good creative name for our blog? Winner gets a prize! A surprise prize! YAY!
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