Happy Birthday Lisa

Happy birthday to my baby sister, Lisa!

Lisa has been my longest and dearest friend.  I have known her longer than I've known any friend.  I've known her since the day she was born.  She is my angel on earth.  I love you Lisa!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Father's Day, Dad

This will be my fourth Father's Day without Dad.  Life is much different without him and Mom.  Now, Father's Day is just a reminder of what is missing in my life.  But, I am grateful for all the years we had together and the memories we made.

I am eternally grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And the knowledge I have that one day I will be reunited with him and Mom again for eternity.  This brings me peace.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.  I miss you.

Fourth Annual Myron Hampton Stone Memorial Two-Mile

The fourth annual Myron Hampton Stone Memorial Two-Mile Run is coming up on Saturday, July 22, 2023.  It will be held again at the Eatonville High School track at around 10:00 AM.

Lisa has been busy pressing the shirts, and I think this may be the best year yet for the shirts.  They are a little different than in past years because that style was discontinued.  So in this new style we went with the red, white and blue this year.

All are welcome to attend and there will be prizes again like in the past.  Trophies and ribbons, frisbees, and a bunch of stuff for the drawing.

After the race we will meet back here at the house for hoagies and a concert by Michael and the boys and a talent show for anyone who would like to share their talents.

Should be fun!  Hope to see you all there!

That's my two cents.

Peacemakers Needed

President Nelson's talk from this past General Conference entitled, "Peacemakers Needed" was the talk our lesson was based on in Relief Society.  It was also the topic du jour of Instagram posts recently.

So I decided to reread it. I pulled some of the quotes from that talk that stood out to me the most to post here for you. It's always good to be reminded of the most recent words of our current Prophet.

"One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people."

"The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers."

"The Savior’s Atonement made it possible for us to overcome all evil—including contention. Make no mistake about it: contention is evil! Jesus Christ declared that those who have “the spirit of contention” are not of Him but are “of the devil, who is the father of contention, and [the devil] stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.”

"My dear brothers and sisters, how we treat each other really matters! How we speak to and about others at home, at church, at work, and online really matters. Today, I am asking us to interact with others in a higher, holier way."

"Charity is the antidote to contention. Charity is the spiritual gift that helps us to cast off the natural man, who is selfish, defensive, prideful, and jealous. Charity is the principal characteristic of a true follower of Jesus Christ. Charity defines a peacemaker."

"Brothers and sisters, the pure love of Christ is the answer to the contention that ails us today." 

"Let us as a people become a true light on the hill—a light that “cannot be hid.”"

"My dear brothers and sisters, the best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building up others."

My two favorite quotes from this talk are the first and last that I posted.  A true disciple of Jesus Christ treats others compassionately.  And the best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building others up.

It's such an easy thing to do to treat others compassionately – the way you would like to be treated.  The golden rule.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Luke 6:31) Yet, there's so much contention and discord in this world.

But for those who strive to live the second great commandment to love our neighbors, the best is yet to come!

That's my two cents.

Iam Tongi

I haven't watched American Idol since the second or third season.  But I wish I would've watched it this year.  A young man named Iam Tongi took American Idol by storm this year and won!  He is a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints and happens to live just a few miles north of me here in Washington. So, we are neighbors.  :-)

My caregiver, Savannah, watched American Idol and would occasionally tell me about it the next day.  And I heard rumors there was a Latter Day Saint on the show.  I didn't think much of it until the day after the finals when Savannah told me that her favorite contestant won and she was excited.  Then later that day I got an email from The Church News with a link to an article about Iam Tongi.  So, out of curiosity, I read it.  Embedded in the article were Iam's audition and a couple of videos of him singing hymns.  I was impressed with the young man.  So I subsequently watched all of his performances on American Idol on YouTube.  And even the stuff on his own YouTube channel that he recorded with his dad prior to his appearance on American Idol.  Lots of church songs that I knew. I can see why America fell in love with him.  He's genuine, fun-loving, and very talented.  But more importantly he's a man of faith who is not ashamed of his testimony of Jesus Christ.

I've always had a special place in my heart for the Polynesian people.  I'm not sure why.  Perhaps it was growing up knowing the Naluais.  Perhaps it was having a Samoan missionary companion, who happened to be my favorite.  :-) She taught me some of the culture and gave me a lavalava.  Her now husband even came to my missionary homecoming and gave me a lei. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding where she did a hula dance.  It was beautiful.  Perhaps it was spending a couple of spring breaks in Hawaii with Juliet and going to PCC where I learned even more of the different Polynesian cultures and had a blast.  PCC was definitely my favorite thing to do in Hawaii.  Perhaps it was Johnny Lingo or The Other Side of Heaven.  I'm sure a combination of all of the above contributed to my love for the Polynesian people.

Then along came Iam Tongi.  Yes, he's very personable and has a touching story.  Not to mention his tremendous voice and musical talent.  But, most importantly, he is a man of faith.

Yesterday on Instagram The Church of Jesus Christ''s official page posted a short bio on Iam.  I want to share it with you.  Here it is:

“I was born and raised in Kahuku, Oahu. My dad was a tough, hardworking guy; he always worked hard to pay for a roof over our heads and food on our table. But he was also so faithful to God. A couple of years ago, my dad had two strokes and a heart attack all pretty close to the same time. A year after that, his kidneys started to fail. He passed away a few months later.

“I started to take music seriously and make that an important part of my life after my dad died. I wasn’t succeeding the way I wanted to right away. My confidence was low, and I didn’t want to keep embarrassing myself by trying and failing again. My mom pushed me to keep going forward. I kept going. As I pursued different opportunities in music, I didn’t want to talk about my dad and get these new opportunities because they felt bad for me. As I was asked how I got into music, I realized I had to talk about my dad because he is a huge part of my story. His story is my story, and I didn’t need to ‘hide it.’

“Recently, a friend asked me about my faith. At first, it seemed like he was trying to make me feel dumb for believing what I do, but as I was willing to talk with him and share my feelings, I learned he was genuinely curious. We began to have an actual conversation. As I answered his questions, he would ask something else, and it gave me the chance to speak up and share from a sincere place. If I didn’t know the answer, I would tell him, ‘I don’t know that yet.’ And he was fine hearing that because he knew I was trying. I thank my mom for teaching me to have courage; she has always pushed me to share what I believe. My faith in God and Jesus Christ is a part of my story. Their story is my story.

“I choose to follow Christ because of how I begin to feel when I follow Him. The difference in how I feel between reading scriptures and not—and praying or not—is super apparent. I have seen a lot and I can’t deny. There is no way I can deny that my Savior is there for me because He is. That’s the main reason why I started sharing my faith; because what I have seen and heard, there is no way that I can deny. My faith in Jesus Christ is a part of my story. His story is my story.” —Iam

What an amazing young man. I don't usually leave comments but I did on this post. Here is what I said:

"Iam, you have been blessed with undeniable musical talent. But what's most impressive about you is your unashamed faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ. Your ability to touch people so deeply through your music is, in part, because you carry the Spirit with you and are not ashamed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are a special young man raised by goodly parents. You are a light in a dark world. Your willingness to share your story, testimony, and talents brings hope for the future. Thank you. The best is yet to come."

I included the best is yet to come part because Iam posted that quote from President Nelson on his Instagram.  I actually received 7 likes.  :-) I doubt he will ever see my comment but at least other people did.  :-)

I'm going to embed his audition at American Idol and my favorite performance by him.

Iam Tongi is such a sweet young man.  For only being 18 years old he is a wonderful example of faith and testimony.  Iam is not afraid to share his beliefs and is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ."  (Romans 1:16) 

I hope he doesn't let the world corrupt him like everyone else who reaches fame.  Stay gold, Iam.  Stay gold.

That's my two cents.

Last Seconds

We're definitely living in the last seconds of the last days.  If you're not ready to meet your Savior, I highly suggest you do what's necessary to get ready to meet Him.  Time is short.

Church used to be one of the last places we could go to feel safe from the world and the fiery darts of the adversary.  It used to be a sanctuary of peace and camaraderie.  Church used to be a place filled with like-minded people who understood the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who had the same morals and values.  I used to look forward to going to church to be uplifted and feel the Spirit and recharge my batteries once a week.

Not anymore.

Now, going to church is like going into battle against the adversary.  It is no longer the peaceful uplifting experience it once was.

The Scriptures proclaim that in the last days the very elect will be deceived.  

Matthew 24:24 

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

The Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 24 clarifies the elect as being covenant makers.  In other words, members of The Church.

Joseph Smith – Matthew 1:22

"For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant." 

The deception of the elect – those who have made covenants with God – is happening in droves.

I can't go to church now without wondering what kind of blasphemous thing will happen there.

I mentioned before in a previous post that in all my 52 years of going to church, I had never heard profanity uttered.  But it happened a few months ago during a comment in Relief Society.  Then, it happened again just a couple weeks ago by the actual teacher in Relief Society.  

Not only do I have to worry about profanity being uttered in actual Sunday church meetings, but I also have to worry about people preaching false doctrine.  People questioning the parables being Christlike – FYI Christ taught the parables.  How much more Christlike can you get?  People hating on the temple during their testimony.  The Bishop stating that he doesn't have a testimony of the prophet being a prophet.  And the list goes on.  These are just things that have happened in my Ward, recently. 

And it's just not members of the Church in my ward who are being deceived and struggling with basic doctrine.

Lisa informed me that there is a prominent "LDS influencer" that is a Deseret Book published author who recently proposed to his boyfriend.  That's bad enough.. But what's worse is all of the comments from active members of the Church praising and congratulating these men for distancing themselves from God and sinning.  It's insane! And it is definitely not Christlike.

This morning, Lisa showed me a photograph of a bulletin board in an LDS church building that was aimed at primary children.  It was a rainbow colored CTR symbol (which ironically stands for choose the right) celebrating pride month.  It made my stomach sick.  I couldn't believe that this was actually happening in a Latter- day Saint church building.  In fact, I had to verify with Lisa that it was in an actual Latter-day Saint building.  It was. How can covenant making, active, members of The Church think this is okay?  It is blasphemous!  And, once again, extremely un-Christlike.

Someone commented on social media that a gospel doctrine teacher (somewhere in the Church) was teaching that the Church leaders will eventually change the "policy" and allow same-sex marriage in temples.  What don't these people understand about doctrine?  The law of chastity is not a policy.  It is doctrine.  Doctrine does not change.  Have they not read the family proclamation?  It blows my mind.

It is not "the brethren" or church leaders who implemented the law of chastity.  It is God.  The law of chastity has existed and has remained unchanged since time began.  It's not going to ever change.  But so many covenant making Church members have been so deceived by the adversary that they believe that if you don't accept and embrace homosexuality, transgenderism and other perversions that you are un-Christlike.  When, in fact, the opposite is true.  Being Christlike is literally saying, "go, and sin no more" (John 8:11).

It is exhausting to go to Church and have to have your defenses up to defend truth – at Church!  Church used to be – and should be – an escape from the world.  It should be a comfortable place of peace.  Church should be a place to feel the Spirit and be uplifted.  I shouldn't feel exhausted and drained coming out of Church.  I shouldn't have to worry about being exposed to profanity at Church. I shouldn't have to worry about what kinds of blasphemous things will be said or done at Church.

But, that is the reality of living in the last seconds of the last days before The Second Coming of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The world is ripe with wickedness and evil.  More than we can even imagine.  Even the very elect – covenant makers – are being deceived in droves.

We are living in a world where good is being called evil and evil is being called good  (Isaiah 5:20).  We are living in a world where truth must constantly be defended by those of us who still understand truth.

We are definitely living in the last seconds of the last days before the Second Coming of our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ.  If you are not prepared to meet Him – please do whatever is necessary to get prepared.  His Second Coming is imminent.

I hope and pray we can all remain strong in our faith.  I hope and pray we can all remain strong in our defense of truth.  I hope and pray we can all remain strong in our testimony our Savior – even amidst friendly fire.

That's my two cents.