How Firm is Your Foundation?

 Here is my takeaway from General Conference.

How Precious is the Book of Mormon to You?

 Love this! 

Patience in a Virtue!

Join me as I shed light on the intense spiritual warfare that preceded my last video message. Patience was learned on all levels. Also, an in depth conversation into the books/scripture that President Nelson counseled the sisters to read. Just what treasures are buried in there?

Here's a Treasure!

I have not heard this fireside/interview since about 2011-2012. Can't remember which year it came out. I was unaware that it's on YouTube until someone sent it to me.

In this video you'll hear "Spencer" share his experiences from the book Visions of Glory, while being interviewed by John Pontius. You'll also hear reference to Kenneth Cope (the musician) who was also present at this fireside.

I absolutely love this! The spirit is strong in testifying of this message. It's so inspiring and uplifting. ❤️

Another Life Transformed!

Another inspiring story of a life transformed through Jesus Christ! I came across this the other day and just had to share.

Laura Perry believed at a young age that she should have been born a boy. She completely transitioned into living and legally being a male. But a chance request by her mother to design a Bible study website put her on the path to discovering her true identity.  Here's what happened.

 

Man Warns of Three Prophetic Signs!

My friend Kristy sent this to me and I somehow skipped over it in my video message. I had been talking about how signs and messages always come to me in threes, and I shared my story this week of the broken blow dryer, car battery, and water pipe and the message the Lord had for me. When my friend sent this to me it was a witness of what I had already planned to talk about in my video. It's another confirmation of signs coming in threes.

What's interesting about this video is that it relates to the burning cathedral having an important message from God. I have also included the other video below of the two women who had planned to get married until God intervened with three signs that this was not right and not what He wanted for them. Amazing!!

 

Most Powerful Testimony!

I shared this video with family last Sunday as part of our home church lesson. The lesson was about becoming born again. I explained to them that sometimes even after we learn of Jesus Christ our Savior, who He is, what He has done for us, and we are baptized, it still can take many years before we have that true born again conversion - what Alma refers to as the "mighty change of heart". 

This man had the true born again conversion the first time he learned of Jesus Christ and prayed to know Him. Even 20 years after the matter, his spirit is still on fire for Jesus. I love his story! 

John 3:5,16

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Encounters with Angels and Prophecy Fulfilled

I have been a fan of the Sid Roth show for a few years now, and occasionally I share some of my favorite episodes. Here are two recent videos that really lit up my heart. The first video reminds me of the type of work 311 workers are engaged in this last hour, and the second video is a man named Mike Bickle who I have mentioned before. He started a prayer movement on 9/19/1999 (significant numbers) known as IHOP (International House of Prayer) in Missouri. In this video he shares how a prophetic minister prophesied over his life back in the 70's and it has since all come to pass.

My friend Lynn Ridenhour who founded our Believer's Building Bridges movement and also lives in Missouri, is a part of Mike Bickle's movement as well. In Lynn's books he talks about Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson, and Randy Clark who are all apart of this restoration movement in which their core beliefs are:

• Recognizes  the  prophetic; particularly  the  offices  of prophet and apostle.
• Believes in open revelation.
• Believes that God speaks today.
• Embraces  kingdom  theology;  i.e.,  the  kingdom  of God not  only will  be  established on earth
but is on the earth.
• Embraces  remnant theology that will overcome this world's present - day government.

With all of their commonalities with what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and what the prophet Joseph already has restored to the earth, we are excited to bring these groups together to become more acquainted with each other, as we believe this interfaith unity will bring about Zion.

I have provided recent videos below of Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson, and Randy Clark so you can hear their incredible testimonies and stories of faith, prayer, and healing. God is working with so many wonderful Christian men and women all over the earth to bring about His purposes. I believe we will see more of this as we continue building Zion together all throughout the world.

An Incredible Story That No One is Talking About!

In a recent video message I had referenced the incredible story of Drew Graham, an LDS man who testifies that he was healed of homosexuality. He is now happily married to a beautiful woman who is the love of his life and he is also a proud father. I had attended a presentation by his parents Stephen and Janice Graham at the Book of Mormon conference back in April, and at the time I wasn't sure why I felt prompted to attend their presentation among all the other speakers and topics competing for that same hour. However, since sharing their very unique story on my YouTube channel, I now know why I was prompted to attend. The many messages and emails that have since poured in, are an amazing witness that this story needs to be told.

My decision to share began with this response I offered on facebook to a woman in a private facebook group who was struggling with she and her husband's differing views and opinions in relation to teaching their children about homosexuality. She had a liberal approach and he was very conservative. She felt their differences were tearing apart their marriage. I offered the following response:

"I don’t have advice nor do I want to share an opinion. But I do feel prompted to share this experience:

I was awakened very early this morning and prompted to get on Facebook. I was so tired that I fought it for 15 minutes. Finally I got up and went onto Facebook. The very first post in my feed was this post. I felt I needed to share a recent experience I had but again I fought it. I then flipped open my scriptures and they landed on page 185 in D&C. The very first verse I read was D&C 95:1. What a powerful confirmation! I knew then that I needed to share. So, here goes:

I attended a conference last weekend in which I heard a presentation given by the parents of an LDS man who was gay for about 18 years and is now straight and has a wife and children. His story is very unique as you seldom hear this perspective and therefore his stance is very unpopular, but he’s okay with that. This man named Drew Graham, wrote a book and speaks on this topic. His stance and his parent’s stance on the issue are so different from what the Church teaches and from what society teaches that they feel ostracized by both. 

He was raised by parents who both have views like your husband and his mother is from San Francisco and was raised in a very liberal environment. 

He says he was born a very sensitive and feminine boy, who played with dolls and loved the arts and that part of him has never changed. His parents were loving and supportive but also taught him that lust was a sin (Matt 5:28), sexual impurity was a sin, and the gay lifestyle was against God’s will for His children. 

Because of his feminine nature and character, he was teased often by masculine boys who told him he was gay. After hearing this his whole life he believed it must be true and accepted it, even at an age when he was too young to be interested in sexuality. This led him to question his masculinity which led him to look at images of masculine men online to see what society deemed a “real man” should look like. This led to looking at male porn which he justified as okay since he was a man himself and had the same body parts. This led to a porn addiction that lasted for several years. 

While attending BYU he was preyed upon by gay temple endowed LDS men who had wives and children and hid their sexual infidelity. They preyed upon him in chat rooms and met him at locations to carry out their desires. Truthfully he was abused, but he allowed it. He said because he was young, curious, and exploring, he was extremely vulnerable and bombarded by gay men who were turned on by his vulnerability. He said that during the entire 18 years of struggle with this, he felt this world and lifestyle and everyone in it was fueled by sex addiction, abuse, lies, and darkness. Even after coming out of the closet and turning down his mission call he never felt pure love or light. He felt deep down that this was not what God wanted for him. He felt God wanted him to live a life that was clean, pure, true, and in which he could enter all of Gods highest covenants and receive those ordinances and blessings. God wanted him to have a healthy sexual relationship and not remain celibate his entire life. God wanted him to have posterity. God wanted him to experience the fullness of joy. He didn’t feel right about engaging in the gay lifestyle (what society teaches and pushes) and he also didn’t feel right about remaining abstinent the rest of his life (what the church teaches, if you’re gay just don’t ever act on it and you’ll be fine). He felt there should be another approach. He wanted to marry and have his own children. And he wanted all the blessings of the temple. He realized that he wanted to be delivered from a lifestyle that he felt was not what God wanted for Him. He felt that for him, being gay resulted from lies that were fed to him from society through the internet and social media coupled with a porn addiction that in return fed the lies. He felt that during these 18 years of being gay, he never was truly happy, he always felt impure and never experienced true love. 

He realized one day that the Savior could save him from a lifestyle and desire he longer wanted. He had never thought to call upon his Savior before to be delivered from this attraction, desire, addiction, and lifestyle because this teaching is offensive to many, its seldom taught. He had always heard and been taught to call on the Savior to be able to endure it (be gay but never act on it) but not be completely delivered from it. So he called upon Jesus Christ like he never had before, and over a period of time he was what he called “healed”. 

He served a mission later in life and was glad to have not used a mission to hide, distract from, or “take care” of the issue. He was glad he took care of it before choosing a mission. He actually became attracted to women and after his mission married a beautiful wife in the temple and now has children. He said he never knew he could be this happy and have a healthy sexual life that fills him with such joy and light! He never knew he could be so in love with someone as he really had never felt true love before. Being “healed” didn’t turn him more masculine, but he felt that society’s idea of what a “real man” should be is false. He never knew that he could be sensitive, love art, and still be attracted to and in love with a woman. He had been taught by society that because of who and how he was, he should be attracted to men. He felt pushed in that direction. In the end he learned it was not what he really wanted but he never knew that until he called upon the Savior. 

As you can see his stance and belief is in contrast with what society teaches and what the church teaches which is why no bookstores will carry his book, and no one will allow him to speak. He is very unpopular for his beliefs and story but he is so happy that he doesn’t care if sharing it will help someone else find the same happiness that he has. 

Looking back he says he wished his parents would have been even more vocal about expressing their views. He wished they would have interfered more. He feels that parents who massage the issue to be in line with society, do more damage. He believes it is a black and white issue as well as a spiritual warfare issue. 

I saw his YouTube video testimony at the conference but have not been able to find it myself on YouTube. YouTube has made it nearly impossible to find the video without a direct link. I was able to find it another way, here it is. His testimony begins at 10:24 into the video. I also included a link to an interview with his parents."

The first few comments that came in were very positive and filled with gratitude and thanks for sharing this man's story. Then shortly later, a couple of negative comments came through; LDS women who felt that by me sharing this man's story, I was doing more harm than good for people in the gay community. Their fear filled worries and words, were a plea for me to never share this information again. It was very upsetting to them. Here was my response;

"They were told by Sheri Dew at Deseret Book that the reason Deseret Book was cancelling their book deal was because it was decided that their book goes against the approach that the church teaches and encourages (The Church teaches that same-sex attraction is fine as long as you don't ever act on it. The Graham's encourage complete healing and wholeness through Jesus Christ, so that one can marry, have a family, make all the covenants in the temple, and experience joy! This is seen as politically incorrect as it suggests that being gay is something to be healed of.)

His story is unique but it might resonate with someone out there who is on the same page or feels very similar. I feel as we overcome challenges, God uses us as instruments to share hope. We shouldn't be afraid to share our experiences, miracles, and blessings, but trust those promptings as the Lord leads us to share. I know his story has helped so many and he has felt guided to share it only when asked. I just know I was prompted to share. ❤️"

Here are three videos that share unique perspectives and approaches that you won't hear very often. Since sharing this, many have come forward in anonymous emails letting me know that this approach worked for them and their loved ones as well.

The first video features Drew sharing his story at 10:20 into the video. The entire video is worth watching as it shares many other unique stories and perspectives on the same topic. The second video features his parents sharing their perspective at the same conference (at 16:28). The third video is an up-close and personal interview with his parents. I felt the importance of sharing their story here on my blog. I hope that their message resonates with someone out there, and is a blessing!


A Parent’s Story: Steve & Janice Graham from PFOX on Vimeo.

An Interview You Need to Watch!

Today this video caught my attention when I saw that it was 1:13:52 in length. There's that number! After watching it I felt the importance of this man's message as he truly operates in third day power in the eleventh hour. This is the kind of faith that's needed in this eleventh hour and these are the kinds of miracles we need to be claiming. I feel we have a lot to learn from our Christian brother's and sisters when it comes to faith.

I've always been a fan of the Sid Roth show because I love the miracles and experiences that the guests often share. Miraculous healings, angelic visitations, the glory of God working in the lives of the believers. I remember at times feeling a little envious that we as Latter-day Saints aren't having these same kinds of experiences in our conferences and meeting houses. I would think about how awesome it would be if members could experience healing at church. If the hand of God would fall upon congregations and we'd witness miracles just like during the time of the Savior. How come so many other Christian leaders and congregations were experiencing these powerful miracles, acts of faith,  and witnesses, but it seemed to be lacking or seldom spoken of in our services? Our members have access to the power the Priesthood. We have the restored gospel, yet more and more of our members deal with depression, anxiety, mental illness, and suffer from physical ailments. They accept it as their cross to bear rather than asking for healing miracles through priesthood power. Why?

I was beginning to lose hope in our Latter-day generation, and felt we were slipping away from the powerful faith held by our early fore-bearers of the Church, especially in such a critical time as this eleventh hour. And then...

... at the recent General Conference, President Nelson spoke these powerful words that ushered a wake-up call to the Saints, especially the brethren. I could feel it in the sound of his voice and see it in his eyes. He knows. He knows our potential that we are not tapping into. He knows who and what this generation of Saints is supposed to be. He knows, and he'll see to it that we step into our divine roles and become powerful sons and daughters in the Lord's Kingdom.

He said;

"We see faithful women who understand the power inherent in their callings and in their endowment and other temple ordinances. These women know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen their husbands, their children, and others they love. These are spiritually strong women who lead, teach, and minister fearlessly in their callings with the power and authority of God!1 How thankful I am for them!

Likewise, we see faithful men who live up to their privileges as bearers of the priesthood. They lead and serve by sacrifice in the Lord’s way with love, kindness, and patience. They bless, guide, protect, and strengthen others by the power of the priesthood they hold. They bring miracles to those they serve while they keep their own marriages and families safe. They shun evil and are mighty elders in Israel. I am most thankful for them!

Now, may I voice a concern? It is this: Too many of our brothers and sisters do not fully understand the concept of priesthood power and authority. They act as though they would rather satisfy their own selfish desires and appetites than use the power of God to bless His children.

I fear that too many of our brothers and sisters do not grasp the privileges that could be theirs. Some of our brethren, for example, act like they do not understand what the priesthood is and what it enables them to do.

Priesthood power has been restored to this earth, and yet far too many brothers and sisters go through terrible trials in life without ever receiving a true priesthood blessing. What a tragedy! That’s a tragedy that we can eliminate.

Brethren, there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all because we hold the priesthood of God. We are the men who have been “called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of [our] exceeding faith,” to do this work."

Back to the video. As wonderfully bizarre as this man's experiences may sound, I believe his example to be a blueprint for all Christians (especially Latter-day Saints), who believe in the Lord and His power, who understand prayer, who have unwavering faith, and who hear the Lord's voice and obey. The Lord can and will use us as instruments in His hands in these last days - if we are willing.

I have included a link to the full version of this interview that contains extra awesomeness, as well as a link to the transcript for the interview, if you'd prefer to read. :) Enjoy!

https://sidroth.org/television/tv-archives/henry-gruver/

https://ofm6z46z825qpxk83fa00q1a-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IS947Transcript_Gruver.pdf

You Need to Hear This Man's Story!

Over the next few weeks I am going to share posts like this that show what "3rd day power in the 11th hour" looks like. These are testimonies of those who are being gathered in through miraculous means. The inactive, the anti-mormons, and those who never thought they'd ever consider reading the Book of Mormon. It is happening, and you will see it speed up with this new shift!