The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints

General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints has been finished this afternoon.  Wonderful, inspiring words of wisdom and instruction was given.

We were all so excited to hear about our new adjustments to our church schedule...

Adjustments at Church

Adjustments to the Church experience are intended to support increased gospel learning and living at home. These changes include adjusting the weekly Sunday schedule to include:

• A 60-minute sacrament meeting,
• A 10-minute transition time,
• And a 50-minute class period,

As outlined in the sample schedule below:

SUNDAY SCHEDULE BEGINNING JANUARY 2019
60 minutes	Sacrament meeting
10 minutes	Transition to classes
50 minutes	Classes for adults	Classes for youth	Primary

Another great item of news is the fact that we should be using the full name of our church. We are not Mormons, we are not the LDS Church.  We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints which is why I changed one of the pages I have posted over the years..  See heading of blog.

Women of our Church follow this creed below and set a great example for the world to love and nurture those around.  

Ministering in our Church now is more personal and takes the place of Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching.  

Exciting times. 

The Truth about the Trump and Putin Summit

Over the past several weeks the media has been extreme in their attacks on President Trump for what I feel is no good reason.  It’s frustrating for me as an American to read half-truths and uniformed information from what was once a trusted source. I now only take what I hear from the news with a grain of salt. I have experienced enough “seeing with my own eyes” and then hearing the media spin lies into what really happened.

A friend of mine has written a wonderfully insightful piece about this very topic which I am reposting here with his permission:

“Yesterday an historic meeting took place between our President and Russia's president. One of our nation's most respected Russian experts praised President Trump for engaging Putin when it was extraordinarily politically risky for him, and consequently defuzing the Russian nuclear threat (the US and Russia combined hold 90% of the world's nuclear weapons) as well as confronting Putin face-to-face over Crimea, Syria, trade, and meddling in US elections. And eliciting a commitment for Russian joint humanitarian aid to Syrian war victims AND to defend Israel! And a most amazing invitation from Putin to Moeller to bring his investigative team to Russia and participate in the interrogation of the 12 Russian agents just indicted for US election interference.

But all this was drowned out by a mob cry from too many on the right and a tidal wave on the left decrying Trump as a "traiter", "a disgrace", and "an idiot".

In less than 24 hours this has become a bigger witch-hunt than the last 2 years of the Russian "collusion" investigation.

And it appears cleverly orchestrated by both the liberal press and the President's own Justice Department. What an extraordinary coincidence that Rosenstein announced the indictment (by Moeller) just hours before the Trump-Putin Summit! How remarkable that the only 2 American correspondents at the post-Summit news conference -- from the "highly respected" news agencies AP and Reuters -- asked scathingly humiliating and baiting questions of both Putin and Trump. And the "lofty" New York Times releases the most vile political cartoon in our nation's history mocking both leaders to millions of viewers on Twitter. 

My wife and I -- unlike 99% (or more) of Americans -- recorded and watched the entire 45 min Helsinki press conference, plus the entire Chris Wallace interview with Putin held  immediately after, plus the post-Summit Tucker and Hannity interviews with Trump. We then saw authentic news coverage buried by a storm surge from the anti-Trump press of slime commentary and sound bites from the Summit taken out of context. 

And tragically, this conspiracy (and, yes, it is genuinely a conspiracy) may indeed get its way -- swinging the upcoming elections in the Democrats' favor, leading to Trump's impeachment, and plunging our nation into an economic abyss not seen since the Great Depression, if the Democratic Socialist progressives get their way. 

Donald Trump not a Patriot?! What other US President has forfeited much of his personal wealth and submitted to such attacks as Trump the past 3 years? What other President has so diligently kept his campaign promises? And Linda and I must say we have a greater respect for Putin for not angrily storming out of that press conference, canceling the interview with Wallace or even canceling the Summit altogether when confronted by the poison press. (We suppose that observation makes us traitors, too....)

Is Saul Alinsky laughing his head off at the gullibility of the American people and this unprecedented success of his "Rules for Radicals"? Our only hope is if enough American patriots have the courage and insight to see and call out this travesty for what it is -- now and in November! And NOT let this cacophony of vitriol overshadow the Strzok revelations, the Moeller bias, the Hillary crimes, and the Kavenaugh nomination. 

Who will join me in stopping this gross dishonesty by the Left and the Establishment Swamp...and pass this on to as many voters as possible?

Bruce Palmer

Then the next day he wrote some follow up thoughts:

"Were indeed the President's actions at Helsinki "disgraceful"? Even many Republican leaders are embarrassed and decrying him. As for me, I believe he is simply following Teddy Roosevelt's famous motto, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Period. 

Trump demonstrated in Singapore that he is not a diplomatic idiot that would humiliate our foreign adversaries once they come to the table. He speaks words of reconciliation and offers friendship. But Trump's big stick dealing with Russia is much bigger than Obama's ever was: most notably he has beefed up NATO strength thru significantly greater contributions from the other allies, armed the Ukrainians, and is strangling the Russian economy thru very tough sanctions and encouraging Germany to drop reliance on Russian natural gas. General Jack Keene clearly sees Trump's Summit as an effort to improve relations with Russia in order to end nuclear weapon proliferation, stop Russian threat to the Ukraine and Eastern Europe, and end the bloodshed and humanitarian catastrophe in Syria -- even while he keeps tightening the tourniquet. And as former Chief of the Joint Chiefs, Keene is no patsy, nor are Pompeo, Bolten, or Coats who still stand by the President despite the latter's questionable extemporaneous words at the Helsinki press conference. 

Should Trump's translator during the private meeting with Putin be subpoenaed to reveal what was discussed? Only if we want to forever shut down any future presidential private meetings with world leaders (what world leader would ever agree to meet in private with a US leader with such a precedent of nonconfidentiality??)! 

Finally, the idea that Trump's invitation to Putin to the White House is weak and inappropriate ignores President Eisenhower's precedent in hosting USSR Premier Kruschev's visit the US in 1959, decried by the Democrats at the time but hailed by historians as a brilliant step toward the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. Does Trump have a love affair with Putin? Only if you believe the moon is made of green cheese...or that Democratic socialism will save the US from the relentless prosperity of capitalism...."

Bruce

The United States is being snow balled.  The media continues to spin the news with lies and falsehoods and Americans are continuing to believe what is written and spoken. Don’t believe everything you read or hear from someone else’s report of what happened until you see with your own eyes the real event.  We need to stand up for what is truth so our President can continue to lead and protect our country.

Patriotism: A Family Virtue

With the celebration of our Independence Day today, we know that families play a big part in contributing to the patriotism of our country. Patriotism is an important family virtue. Our children need to learn respect for the flag, respect for veterans of past wars and honor the U.S. Constitution.  As they learn the U.S. Constitution in school, they must recognize the importance of how our forefathers worked to write what our country longed for to stand free for many years.

 

Our children need to remember to stand at attention when our national anthem is played and reverently pledge their allegiance to the flag each day at school.  It is important to pass down the attribute of patriotism as this should be carried on into future generations.  We need to instill a reverence in our children to remember the importance of our country’s history, the heroism of those who died to protect our freedoms, and how to retire an old flag.

 

Teaching Our Children about Patriotism

Through books and movies, Americans are reminded of the great sacrifices our parents, grandparents and generations before have made in keeping this country free.  With the help of knowledgeable parents, all children can learn to be devoted to their country and learn the importance of patriotism.

Here are a few ideas which can help parents teach their children about patriotism:

1.    Post a U.S. flag: Buy a flag kit, hang it on the front of the house, and teach children to be respectful of it.  The flag should never touch the ground and should always be removed when raining or at night unless a light shines on it.  When the flag is being carried at parades, everyone should stand, remove any hats and place their right hand over their heart as it goes by.  Discuss the appropriate behavior we should have for our country’s flag which can help children be more reverent of this great symbol.

2.    Vote: One of the best ways children can learn about the importance of their country’s leadership is if their parents vote.  Explain, and include children in the voting process.  Discuss how important we are in choosing our national, state, and local leaders who make decisions for our country.

3.    Be involved in community: Attend patriotic events and be the example when the national anthem is played by standing and singing along. Every year most communities have a patriotic celebration for Independence Day and this instills feelings of devotion and respect for our nation’s history. Make a fun day of it and children will respond.  Join in singing the national anthem at ball games and other events and attend Veteran Day activities for children to meet those who fought to save our freedoms.

Instilling these patriotic ideals is an investment for the future. While some might feel patriotism is not necessary in these times, we can be a force for good in our country by teaching our future generations the reverence needed in patriotism.  Families should remember the importance of our nation and its history and revere the flag. Include honoring our veterans for their sacrifice for freedom, and families can instill the importance of patriotism for years to come.