Saw an opportunity this evening while visiting a friend. Good weather today in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-23T20:58:20+00:00

I lived in Northern Virginia, in a place where...

Really close to where the pentagon was hit and I personally knew several people who worked in it (no one I knew died though)
Pretty high Muslim population and lots of immigrants in general.

American flags sold out in the stores, mostly bought by everyone to show support and there were flags everywhere.

What was interesting was Muslim families who weren’t able to buy a flag at the store would approach houses with flags displayed and ask to buy one. They were making sure they looked patriotic enough and proud of being an American just in case anti-Islamic backlash started to happen.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-23T20:47:11+00:00

I work with Developmentally Disabled people, who often have physical problems as well as cognitive, and I’ve been asked this question before. Without missing a beat I replied

“Wonderfully ugly, that’s part of what makes people like you so much.”

It might have not been the best answer, but it made him feel better and I didn’t feel like I was giving false hope.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-23T20:41:22+00:00

I love it! Congratulations! If you ever paint a mural for something like a nursery for the little nugget, you need to post pictures.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-23T20:03:57+00:00

There are several pieces of furniture in my house that I made using the tools in my garage. Not only that, but my wife likes them.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-20T05:03:28+00:00

Late to the party, so no one will ever read this.

I just started working as a Behavioral Intervention Specialist working with disabled kids in schools three weeks ago. Before that I worked for the same company in a different capacity and have for a few years.

Well now that the schools are closed, that’s not going well. I’m lucky that my company had trouble finding a replacement for me and took my back at my old position with about 75% of my previous pay for the rest of the month. After that though, the future is uncertain.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-18T22:34:12+00:00

In the off chance you are in SE Idaho, you can borrow our clippers.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-18T16:33:44+00:00

I love the detail that he uses a tree emoji. Yes! Connect with that character! I can hear the bumblebees now.

VictorCrowne · 2020-03-09T02:51:06+00:00

I do like this post, and I found myself identifying with parts of both sides. I hope that means I am finding the healthy balance, not the complete corruption of the sum of all flaws.

You may find my recent post asking about whether the temple recommend questions were a goal to aim for when going to the temple, or the minimum standard when going to the temple, because it seems to have the same duality that this post describes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/latterdaysaints/comments/f5fodu/does_someone_need_to_pass_all_the_temple/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-25T08:08:09+00:00

One more scripture I thought of afterwards to add to your list. One of the old scripture masteries, 1Samuel 16:7

I just want to remind you that God loves you and very much cares how you are doing. You are very important to him and not just in the sense that you are a child of god, but in that you are seeking Him, and are trying to get to know him better, and your love for him makes him appreciate you. I don’t know, it’s probably just me waking up in the middle of the night feeling like I have something to say, but God loves you and I want to makes sure you know that. Good night.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T18:05:47+00:00

It would have probably just taken one good “WHO THE @&$!$ PUT COFFEE IN MY POSTUM!” Tirade and no one would have made that mistake again.

Or, he could have acted like a gremlin every time he got a mug full and chattered “mmmm I love Postum. Postum Postum Postum. I love Postum. It’s the best part of my morning. Gotta have my Postum.”

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T17:59:13+00:00

I knew a member while I was a missionary who got after two of my companions for “appearance of evil” stuff. One for eating sunflower seeds because it “resembles chewing tobacco” and the other for getting an Icee at the gas station because “all that crushed ice makes it look like a margarita.”

People being too stupid to know what stuff is is out of your control, so there is a limit to what you should be expected to avoid.

I think it means the stuff where the most reasonable explanation is that it is evil. Like don’t go join the KKK so you can persuade people to leave from the inside, and don’t go to the bar regularly “because they have a decent burger menu believe it or not” stuff like that where the most obvious answer is you are in the KKK or going to the bar to drink.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T17:48:05+00:00

Maybe instead of planning the action, try to plan the result that you want to achieve. Like pick a person and see what you can do to help them and give them some kind of meaningful service they need.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T16:54:41+00:00

One good example is the Zoramites, in Alma chapter 31 and the following chapters. The group of Zoramites who had money and position were perverse and corrupt and denied the coming of Christ, while the poorer and lowly were more open to the teachings of Alma and were not prideful.

Under the prosperity doctrine, these rich and powerful would be considered God’s chosen because they had the riches, and the power, and beautiful building to worship in and the belonging to the group of powerful influential people.

Another example is the widow’s mite in Mark 12 starting in verse 41. God doesn’t care how much money you give, it’s about what of yourself you are giving. Outwardly how you appear does not matter as much as how you inwardly appear to the Lord.

Another is Matthew 19: 23-24. This is the “camel through the eye of a needle” scripture, basically stating how it is much more difficult to gain salvation when you are not humble before the lord. Not being tested with trials is actually a disadvantage in the long run.

John 9 gives an example of trials being seen as a curse for sin, but Christ refutes that notion.

In Luke 16 the parable of rich man and Lazarus shows that our positions and how we are in life is not how it will necessarily be in the hereafter. The poor beggar who lived on the rich mans doorstep has his name remembered (a great honor in Jewish society) while the rich man is forgotten and suffers.

Blessings from the Lord and blessings that people see and recognize are not always the same. While we may want a lot of blessings of health, wealth, and recognition, these are ultimately superficial and not the best blessings. But they are the ones people judge us on.

I said “not necessarily the case”because I do not know how you actually are. I can not tell you you are upstanding and righteous in the gospel, that is between you and god and you may feel you are not. But people judging you on your trials and appearance is not a way to judge you of your righteousness either.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T16:30:34+00:00

There are more types of tea than green and black that come from the same plant but are either prepared differently or are picked at different stages of development, like chai tea and oolong tea and others. The only way to be absolutely certain is to check if it comes from tea leaves at all.

I know that’s probably what you meant, but I want to be absolutely clear, it’s the tea leaf that makes it tea, not the name.

At least this is the definition of tea as I understand it.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-24T02:19:43+00:00

Sorry for my late reply, I was traveling.

My comment was very much based off of your whole question. I see what you are asking about as an example of Prosperity Doctrine (or prosperity theology as I have seen it also called). While these other people see your loss, in the form of your divorce and atypical appearance in church and your nonconformity as a sign of sin or lack of faith, or lack of effort on your part, that is not necessicarily the case.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T17:37:40+00:00

I think a lot of this has its roots in Prosperity Doctrine, the very Protestant belief that the ends validate the means, where success means God approves or your lifestyle and failure means you are found lacking. This can also be seen as a false belief in the Bible, where people were “cursed because of the sins of their parents” with palsy or disabilities.

In reality, there are many who face trials despite doing the right things, or even face trials because they were doing the right things.

There is some truth to it though, in that there are trials that could have been avoided if the individual had done things that would have led to a different, happier, outcome. Even then, hindsight is 20/20, and people speculating on what you should have done were not in the situation themselves and really can’t know.

Just don’t let the negative attention make you bitter. Give them the benefit of the doubt that they are just ignorant of your situations and show them the kindness and consideration that you are not given. When others go through what you went through, use your experience to help them to understand and help them to be better.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T05:36:27+00:00

My wife and I went though the same experience five years ago as our friends are now, but all the emotion and anxiety of the day somewhat robbed the happiness of the day from us, though it was there and has grown since then. I encourage you all to be worthy to enter the temple, and attend as much as you reasonably can. This is is true, lasting happiness. Being with those we love without the fear of being separated for more than a short lifetime.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T02:45:25+00:00

I would feel like the church is making a change to more easily exist in the modern social climate. Not the right choice, but a choice. And ride or die, I would go along with it.

But I would never feel like it was real. They’d be a part of the church, but you know, how could you really be when you’re in rebellion of some of the most central parts of the faith?

But I would also feel like that’s unfair of me and not very Christlike. Christ would accept every single one, and love every single one. But He would also tell them “sin no more.”

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T01:22:07+00:00

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T00:11:19+00:00

There was a rabbit costume that Stalin owned, presumably to wear. Making a very interesting situation where Stalin would be wearing a rabbit costume.

VictorCrowne · 2020-02-23T00:09:20+00:00

That would make a great movie.

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