The Dark & Mysterious Origins of Mother Goose - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

This is a research piece I did last year that was part of a much longer video called, "Your Wakeup Call". In my last Happy Lady message, I talked about the Pied Piper and promised to make a shorter video clip of this topic I covered las year. Because it's a copy, the sound quality isn't as sharp, but I think the point is well made. This is a great example of a wolf in sheep's clothing in our culture and traditions. 

The Best Insight Ever on Personal Revelation!

Thank you Elder Bednar!  

Not Hiding You Light Under a Bushel!

Everyone needs to watch this! Modern day gadianton robbers influencing the next generation. This church member from Paris is serious about building God's kingdom. The points that he makes about how we need to offer something that's different from the world, and not blend in with what the world is already doing - that's exactly how I feel about Halloween. 

 

Ye Are Children of the Light!

 1 Thessalonians 5:5 is a good rule of thumb to live by, during these times. ❤️

2020 and the Passover - Have You Marked Your Home?

2020 has been a year where we have seen the world grow increasingly darker. I have so much been looking forward to September, a time when we pull out all of our harvest décor and reflect on what the Lord has blessed us with. A time when we bottle our bounty through endless days and late nights of canning down the last apple and tomato. With the events of this year and the nationwide canning shortage that sprung upon us this month, I have really been reflecting on light and the harvest. First let me share about the harvest. 

During their 40-year exodus, the children of Israel were only to gather enough manna to sustain their families for a day. They could not put some aside and store it for later, or it would spoil, and they’d lose it all. This taught them to rely 100% on the Lord for their sustenance. As we found ourselves this week unable to preserve all that the Lord has blessed us with, I felt a peaceful yet powerful assurance from the Spirit, that we are approaching a time when we too will need to learn to rely 100% upon the Lord for our daily sustenance both spiritually and physically. Through experiences that are meant to humble us and bring us to our knees, 2020 and the months to come will certainly bring us closer to our Savior. Will help us rely on him, and him alone. As I think about the gratitude I have for my harvest, I can’t help but be grateful for 2020’s catastrophes that have brought me closer to the Lord and have caused me to turn to him for answers and peace that only he can provide. For years, we have prepared all that we can for this prophesied time in history, and after doing our part and heeding the counsel of the prophets, the Lord 

Now let’s talk about the light. Prior to their exodus out of Egypt, the children of Israel survived a very dark night filled with great fear and terror for some. The Lord told Moses that the destroying angel would come into Egypt that night, and those who marked their doors and homes with lamb’s blood (symbolizing the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ), would be spared the death that awaited every firstborn son as a punishment to the stubbornness and pride of the hardened Pharaoh. Sure enough, that night, the angel of death descended upon the streets of Egypt, approaching every home in the land and bringing with him certain death. As he approached homes with the blood of the Lamb marked on the doors, he passed over and left those families unharmed. This event known as “the Passover” is overserved every year by the Jewish people to remind them of how the Lord protected and liberated his people. 

COVID-19 has had such stark similarities to the night of the Passover. Just like the destroying angel, it has brought with it a sort of death and destruction of the way things used to be. It has brought with it much anger, fear, and anxiety to people all over the world. However, just like the Israelites, those who have chosen to fill and mark their homes with the mark of the Lamb, the Light of Christ, have been spared the destruction that we are seeing play out in cities and homes all over the world. 

A few years ago, as this time of year was fast approaching, I had a sort of light-bulb moment. As I looked at my décor stacked in mountains of totes in our storage room, something didn’t feel quite right. Normally this time of year, I would be super excited to get out my wreathes and figurines of witches, gravestones, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts, and spread them throughout my house and yard from top to bottom. Afterall, October was my favorite month of the year. It was the one time where we as saints, Christians, and disciples of Christ could mark our homes, doors, yards, and children, with these symbols of darkness all in the name of fun for our children. Symbols of death, darkness, and evil, were sugar coated or “cute-ified” into what we had always considered harmless fun. From sugar cookies, to dinner place mats, to the toys in children’s kids meals; it was engrained in our culture and were passing down these traditions to our Heavenly Father’s precious children. 

No, we would never dream of participating in witchcraft, or digging up the deceased and using their corpses or bones as front porch décor. Nor would we even consider inviting ghosts/spirits into our homes to hang out in our entry way or summon the demonic such as vampires and ghouls to sit on our mantles and windowpanes. But during this one month out of the year we were teaching our children that these things were okay when just for the sake of entertainment. Yes, we were teaching them that it’s okay to entertain darkness. 

Have we forgotten what's written in the word? 

 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.

Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. Moroni 7:12,14

And just like what Nephi pleaded to us when he said, 

And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. 2 Nephi 2:18

I could hear Satan saying to the children of Adam and Eve today, “Go ahead! Partake of Halloween. You shall not be harmed in doing so, but shall create wonderful experiences with your families, friends, and neighbors. It’s harmless fun for your children.”

What was I doing? Eleven months out of the year, I was teaching my children according to the prophets and the scriptures, that we should avoid the very appearance of evil. We should not entertain darkness. And that sorcery and witchcraft was an abomination to the Lord. But every October I was being a hypocrite. I was sending a mixed message that during these 30 days out of the year this was okay. I looked around at our Latter-day Saint culture and saw how we dressed our children as witches, vampires, zombies, and devils. We watched movies that glorified the gore and darkness. Our kids sang songs and chanted spells in their classrooms all in name of “harmless fun” and tradition. They put on masks, disguised their identities as children of God, hid their light ,and went out into the dark of the night. We attended festivals and baked cakes that glorified the dark side. For one month out of the year we were trying to serve two masters. Yes, we had forgotten the words of our Savior when he said;

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:13

We had forgotten that our Lord and Savior is returning soon. We are to forsake the world. Walk away from Babylon and it’s traditions and prepare the earth for the Lord to rule and reign. It occurred to me that during the millennium there will be no Halloween. If we are to prepare the earth now for his millennial reign, we have to learn to give up Babylon and walk away from darkness. 

I remember looking at my totes, and remembering the words of modern prophets and apostles who urged us to make our homes like the temple. I thought to myself, “I would never put witches and skeletons on the walls of the temple. Why am I putting it in my home? What do these things symbolize? The spirit certainly recognizes what they symbolize. The spirit cannot dwell where darkness dwells. What am I doing?” How could I justify putting witch potion bottles and cauldrons next to the portrait of Christ on my mantle? How did that ever seem right?  I thought about how if a day ever came where we would need to have church in our homes, how would I feel about taking the sacrament in a room filled with spider webs, witches and goblins? Yet, we were having parties in our church meeting houses, the very buildings where we participate in the sacred ordinance of the holy sacrament. We were bringing witches, gravestones, zombies, and devils into the church all in the name of entertainment for the children. We were calling evil good! 

COVID-19 brought with it “home church”. My thoughts from a few year ago, were now becoming reality. Our homes truly needed to be like a holy temple more than ever. I began to wonder how the saints would feel taking the sacrament in a room decorated with devils, witches, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts. Maybe it would take this blessing of home church, to help us all recognize the double standard of inviting in Christ’s spirit while also inviting in darkness. Maybe COVID-19 would be a tender mercy to keep the children home on Halloween night, as trick-or-treating is being banned in many cities and states. 

Again, I am reminded of the Israelites who stayed safe in their homes on that fateful dark night when the destroying angel went from street to street, home to home, and took the lives of the unprotected. Those who were out an about were vulnerable, and those who marked their homes with the symbol of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, His blood, showed the enemy they were shielded in His power from death and destruction. Satan had no power over them, and he moved on to the next house. They were spared. 

In that moment, as the light bulb lit up. Marking my home with darkness and death, created a breach in our home and was an open door, an invitation, a welcome mat that read, "Darkness is welcome here." It gave the destroyer, power over me and my family. Yes, the power to destroy. Destroy what? Marriages, relationships, identity, testimonies, faith, health, and even life itself. I knew what I needed to do. I sacrificed these deceitful traditions that I had loved for so long, in honor of the greater sacrifice – the blood of the Lamb. I put it all on the alter for Him, and let it burn. I threw away every decoration, pencil eraser, t-shirt, pillowcase, and story book that promoted Halloween. I was no longer going to serve two masters, and send mixed messages to my children. On the darkest day of the year, we were going to flood our home with light. For the last three years that is exactly what we have done, and we have been greatly blessed for doing so. It’s a night and day difference in our home, especially in the days and months that follow Halloween.

Today and forevermore, our fall decor reflects beauty, gratitude, and an invitation of the presence of the Lord. On the front of my door and in every room of our home, hangs a portrait of Christ. All who approach and pass by our home, know who we serve. We have marked our door with the Lamb. He holds up a lantern, inviting all who approach, to come to him. 

As we see how closely the Book of Mormon has paralleled 2020 in our Come Follow Me study,t his scripture we have yet to study stands out: 

And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite. Mormon 1:19

Again, we see ourselves as the inhabitants of this land, following the same pattern. We glorify magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and the powers of darkness in books, movies, music, and entertainment. And as it was heavy in the land before the Savior came the first time, it is again heavy in the land prior to his coming the second time. History repeats itself. 

Just like that fateful night in Egypt, when the Israelites experienced what felt like the darkest day of the year, we too are soon approaching the literal darkest day of the year, October 31st. This day in 2020, will feature a unique full moon known as the “Hunter’s moon” which will also be a blue moon (meaning the second full moon to appear in the same month). The Hunter’s moon follows the Harvest moon of October 1st. As we participate in the final end-time harvest, let’s not forget that it was prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah that during these last days we (the Gentiles) would participate as “hunters” in gathering in the scattered children of Israel.

…and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

…I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord. (Jeremiah 16) 

It will be our light, the Light of Christ, that will shine through the darkness of these end times and help us find His children in the “holes of the rocks”. It will be His light within us and in our homes that will shine in the darkness and draw them to us. It will be His Light that gathers, protects, and heals us from our afflictions. Light overcomes darkness and the powers of the destroyer. So, what are we doing to fill ourselves and our homes with His light? 

Here's the video of my story:

What Does It Mean to "Come Forth in the Morning of the First Resurrection"?

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is an event that many Christians throughout the world are fully aware of and often discuss. However, there are components that not all Christians are aware of. Did you know that the Savior will make several appearances before His Second Coming to all the world. Modern day revelation teaches us the following:

#1) Appearance at Adam-Ondi-Amhan 

Christ will come in private to his prophet and to the apostles then living. Those who have held keys and powers and authorities in all ages from Adam to the present will also be present” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah,578–79).

“Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he [who] will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave this stage of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 157).

#2) Appearance at the New Jerusalem (Western Hemisphere)

Christ's next appearance will be to the righteous Saints who have gathered to the New Jerusalem (all land west of the Missippi River). In this place of refuge they will be safe from the wrath of the Lord, which will be poured out without measure on all nations.

#3) Appearance at Jerusalem (Eastern Hemisphere)

“[Christ’s] next appearance [after his appearance in the New Jerusalem] will be among the distressed and nearly vanquished sons of Judah. At the crisis of their fate, when the hostile troops of several nations are ravaging the city and all the horrors of war are overwhelming the people of Jerusalem, he will set his feet upon the Mount of Olives, which will cleave and part asunder at his touch. Attended by a host from heaven, he will overthrow and destroy the combined armies of the Gentiles, and appear to the worshipping Jews as the mighty Deliverer and Conquerer so long expected by their race; and while love, gratitude, awe, and admiration swell their bosoms, the Deliverer will show them the tokens of his crucifixion and disclose himself as Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had reviled and whom their fathers put to death. Then will unbelief depart from their souls, and ‘the blindness in part which has happened unto Israel’ be removed” (Charles W. Penrose, “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, 10 Sept. 1859, 583).

#4) Appearance to the World at His Second Coming

“The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances [to the New Jerusalem and to the Jews]; but who can describe it in the language of mortals? The tongue of man falters, and the pen drops from the hand of the writer, as the mind is rapt in contemplation of the sublime and awful majesty of his coming to take vengeance on the ungodly and to reign as King of the whole earth.

"...it will be an event that will be seen by all—all flesh shall see the glory of the Lord; when he reveals himself the second time, every eye, not only those living at that time in the flesh, in mortality on the earth, but also the very dead themselves, they also who pierced him, those who lived eighteen hundred years ago, who were engaged in the cruel act of piercing his hands and his feet and his side, will also see him at that time” (Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 18:170).

“At the time appointed by the Father, the Son of Man will come in the clouds of heaven. It is an unknown day in the beginning of the seventh thousand years of the earth’s temporal continuance. War, such as has not been known from the beginning of time, is in progress. All nations are assembled at Armageddon.

“All things are in commotion. Never has there been such a day as this. The newspapers of the world, as well as radio and television, speak only of war and calamity and the dread that hangs like a millstone around every neck. …

“And the signs in heaven above are like nothing man has ever seen. Blood is everywhere; fire and vapors of smoke fill the atmospheric heavens. No man has seen a rainbow this year. …

“And above all are the vexing words of those Mormon Elders! They are everywhere preaching their strange doctrine, saying that the coming of the Lord is near, and that unless men repent and believe the gospel they will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming.

“In this setting, as these and ten thousand like things are in progress, suddenly, quickly, as from the midst of eternity, He comes! Fire burns before him; tempests spread destruction; the earth trembles and reels to and fro as a drunken man. Every corruptible thing is consumed. He sets his foot on the Mount called Olivet; it cleaves in twain. The Lord has returned and the great millennium is here! The year of his redeemed has arrived!” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 21–22).

“When the Lord comes in his glory, in flaming fire, that fire will both cleanse the vineyard and burn the earth. In that day, so intense shall be the heat and so universal the burning, the very elements of which this earth is composed shall melt. The mountains, high and glorious and made of solid rock, shall melt like wax. They shall become molten and flow down into the valleys below. The very earth itself, as now constituted, shall be dissolved. All things shall burn with fervent heat. And out of it all shall come new heavens and a new earth whereon dwelleth righteousness” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 526–27).

Who Gets "Raptured"?

So, just who will be caught up to meet him when he comes? Many Christians speak of a rapture in which the righteous in Christ will be taken from the earth and spared the destruction that comes upon the wicked at His final coming. This is based on the scripture 1 Thessalonians 4:17

    Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to         meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

In Latter-day Saint doctrine, we refer to this event as the Resurrection. We believe that the righteous will remain on the earth during the tribulations but many will be protected through their faith and power of their covenants. The Resurrection then precedes and heralds in the Second Coming and the destruction of the wicked. The Faithful Saints or "First Fruits" on both sides of the veil will be caught up to meet the Lord when he returns. They will descend with Him upon the earth at His coming. 

“Christ’s, the first fruits—who are they? They are all those who were with him in his resurrection. They are all those of Enoch’s city, a righteous people who first were translated and who then gained full immortality when Christ rose from his tomb. They are all those of ages past who have burst the bands of death. They are the living saints who are quickened by the power of God and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. They are the righteous dead who shall come forth in this, the morning of the first resurrection, to receive an inheritance of eternal life and to be one with their glorious Lord. All these shall have an inheritance of exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. All these shall ‘behold’ their Lord’s ‘face in righteousness,’ for they shall ‘awake’ with his ‘likeness.’ (Ps. 17:15.)” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 636).

Many Latter-day Saints are familiar with the promise of coming forth in the morning of the First Resurrection. This is a promise I have personally received in my own blessing. Just what does it mean? And will all good people who believe in Christ be caught up to meet him when he comes? The following is from an article on LDSLiving.com

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote, “Nothing is more absolutely universal than the Resurrection.” Though all people will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:22), not all will be resurrected at the same time. Technically speaking, there are four resurrections.

The Morning of the First Resurrection: This resurrection began with Christ’s Resurrection and will continue in and through the Millennium. This resurrection is reserved for those who have lived righteously. It is reserved for those who are destined to be heirs of the Celestial kingdom. (The covenant makers and keepers who have remained faithful and endured to the end). Those who sacrificed, and devoted their time and talents to building up the Kingdom of God. 

The Afternoon of the First Resurrection: This resurrection starts once the Millennium has begun and will carry on throughout the thousand years of the Millennium. It is reserved for those who have lived good lives but were not necessarily valiant. Those who strayed from the covenant path or never walked it. This resurrection is reserved for those who are destined to inherit the Terrestrial kingdom.

The Morning of the Second Resurrection: This resurrection begins at the end of the Millennium. It is reserved for those who have lived sinful lives, for those who have lived contrary to the dictates for their conscience and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Those who come forth in this resurrection will inherit the Telestial kingdom, the lowest of the three degrees of glory. Those who inherit this glory will not spend eternity in the presence of Satan and his minions. However, they will be eternally shut out of the presence of God and Christ.

The Afternoon of the Second Resurrection: This resurrection will take place after all others have been resurrected. It is reserved for the sons and daughters of perdition, for those who will spend eternity with the devil and his angels because, in mortality, they did the work of the devil and his angels. It is the only one of the four resurrections that provides its recipients with no glory whatsoever. Hence, the eternal abode for those who come forth in this resurrection is known as “outer darkness” (Alma 40:13), where God’s light never shines (D&C 88:6–13).

Thus, what does it mean if your patriarchal blessing promises you that you will “come forth in the morning of the First Resurrection”? One stake patriarch suggested that it means you will be resurrected “at the first opportunity you are able to be.” It certainly means that if you are true to your covenants, you will be exalted. It is the promise that, through your faithfulness and through Christ’s Atonement, you are going to make it to the celestial kingdom, where you will preside over your posterity for eternity, doing what God does, because you will have become what He is. Could there be any greater promise that God could make to any of His children?

Missionary Miracle Testimony

This was posted in a facebook group and then almost 24 hours later, the link to the original source was no longer working and the story had disappeared. It was thought that the elder who wrote it was asked to take it down as the nature of it is very personal and the sister missionaries are known to the public through the news story. I was able to find the story here in a reddit post and have pasted it below. It's the exact story I read before the link was taken down. Here is a link to the news story as well. This story was published on KSL a couple of weeks ago. 

********

Hey everyone!

For those of you who don't know, and even for those of you that do know, I'd like to talk about the Sisters that got stabbed in my mission.

They are my friends. I was in training with one of them in my first area for about 5 months. I know her very, very well, and this has been soooo hard. Just hard. I cannot express the pain this has brought me, other missionaries, and both of those sisters and their families. It sounds so foreign and distant until it happens to a friend. Or a brother. Or a sister. Or a daughter.

It's very, very real now.

I'll say what I know though, for the express reason that it has built my faith completely, and my faith in the savior has only increased because of this trial.

So the Sisters were stabbed in the middle of the night by an invader inside their apartment. The man came in at 4AM, removing his shoes to be quieter, and grabbed a knife out of their kitchen. Then he walked into their bedroom and started stabbing both sisters.

Both sisters had to go to the hospital, because each was stabbed multiple times, and were in the ICU for about a week, and now both are returning home from their missions to heal where they may or may not return to missionary service.

Now let me talk about some of the miracles involved though...

First, neither sister was stabbed anywhere their garments covered. It was not touched.

One sister did have her garment shirt roll up in the night, and she was stabbed in her side.

Second, after their parents were notified, their fathers were there 3 hours after the stabbing.

Third, the sister that got stabbed in her side was stabbed in her hands and her feet as well. One hand was stabbed completely through to the other side...

In a very, very literal way, she now has wounds in her hands, feet and side to match the Savior's.

The same sister shared her testimony about how she now feels closer to her savior than ever before. She feels like she was given this so she could more fully witness of the suffering the savior had to go through for each of us. She told us all that she had completely forgiven her attacker, and she was grateful for the miracle that both Sister's had been given.

Her wound in her side was really bad, but she shared with us that in her setting apart blessing she was blessed that if she was obedient and kept the commandments, she would be safe, and even the "very organs of her body would be kept safe." She told us that if the knife in her side had turned one way or the other in any direction, she would have bled to death and they wouldn't have been able to save her.

Fourth, when the Sisters were being attacked, they tried to fight back against him, and they prayed. Both sisters remembered praying, but the Hermana that I was friends with recalled saying a prayer, and as soon as she finished, she made eye contact with her attacker and said, "Stop right now and leave this apartment."

After she said that, the attacker dropped the knife, turned around, and walked out of the apartment.

I witness that the power of the ministering of angels is real, and the priesthood power is just as accessible by women acting in faith and righteousness as it is to any worthy man that holds that priesthood.

Fifth, when our mission president heard that the Sisters were in the hospital, he knew he needed to get there as soon as he possibly could. He called a STL in their apartment complex and asked her to talk with the police and find out which hospital they were admitted to.

But since time was of the essence, he and his wife prayed together, got in the car picked a direction and started driving. Not knowing beforehand where they needed to go.

When they got the address to the hospital, they were only two minutes away.

Brothers and Sisters, I know that these things could only have happened by the power of God. There is no other possible explanation. And I'm so glad to be in a place where I can witness these things and bring them to you.

I testify to each of you that the Lord will make good on his promise, and he will always "consecrate thine afflictions for thy good." (2 Nephi 2:2)

I know that it does not matter where you are and it does not matter who you are. It does not matter what the circumstance is. It does not matter if you think you have fallen out of the reach of God (because you haven't). It does not matter if you think that miracles only come sometimes and God is more subtle than bold and real. It does not matter if you think God is punishing you for some misdeed.

It. Does. Not. Matter

I promise you, that God will act boldly, and he does. God has said, "Behold, I am God. And I am a God of Miracles, and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever. And I work not among the children of men, save it be according to their faith." (2 Nephi 27:33)

If you think miracles won't come, then they won't. If you say, "well that's a cool story, but it doesn't always happen like that," then it definitely won't to you.

There's a reason Jesus could not do miracles in Nazareth.

I know God is real, and he will bring us unto him, and no matter who you are. He will protect you, he will love you, and you will always be safe from harm, as long as you faithfully look to him to rescue you.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder X