The body is more spiritual than mechanical. It is a rhythmic representation of the spirit of life and a result of all things resonating together to create a harmonious system. The body is referred to with respect, kindness, and love, and it is not seen as an entity separable from its environment. It is viewed as one of the many manifestations of the human soul and therefore must be dealt with as sensitively and caringly as possible. A long and joyful life derives from the loving experience of connection with all the bodies around us, including people, planets, and animals. Total fitness means not just keeping the body in shape but taking pleasure in keeping the whole World in good health. The body is a primary communication system for maintaining and experiencing connection. It is a part of the ecosystem and should be cared for just as one cares for planets and fish. Philosopher A.J. Ayer found it impossible to resist the blandishments of his own personal near-death experience. During a severe bout of pneumonia, having lost consciousness, he found himself entering the presence of a red light which was “responsible for the government of the Universe” and with which he could debate the laws of time and space. In a newspaper article, following his recovery, he wrote: “On the face of it these experiences are rather strong evidence that death does not put an end to consciousness.” #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

The Lord has made important adjustments in the way we care for each other. Some people have insisted that for them their personal experience does and should rank above any other evidence, even objective scientific evidence—and have gone on to demand that it should be granted equivalent respect by others. Eventual exaltation requires our complete fidelity now to covenants we make and ordinances we receive in the house of the Lord. We are blessed with greater harmony and love in our homes and a deeper desire to care for our eternal family relationships. Many people stand by all the data reported; it is a matter of utter indifference to them whether their accusers or anyone else believes them are not. These individuals know the results of their faith is real because they were their and their experience tells them so.  How can each of us experience the power of understanding our divine identity? If we have learned anything about parapsychology, it is that results and statistics and data never change anyone’s mind about anything; experience is the only arbiter. We have to seek to know God, our Father. Let us be faithful to what we have believed and know. When we endure we remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity. Even those who have had powerful spiritual experiences and have given faithful service could one day go astray or fall into inactivity if we do not endure to the end. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

Obviously there is need to be careful. May we always and emphatically keep in our minds and hearts the phrase, “I will not lose my Faith in God or eternal life.” Let us be faithful to what we have believed and know. If we have not been living according to our knowledge, let us change. When asked is a spiritual or psychic experience had changed their life, 35 percent of those who had had experiences said “Yes”. And when asked to elaborate, they cited such explanations as that “It has made me realize there is more to life than I thought before,” or that “There has to be something else other than just life; I no longer believe that w live all this time and just finish”, or that “We do not use the power of our mind to its full extent and there are greater forces than we know of, a superior power we can tap and utilize”. Sinners who persist in their sins, and do not repent, skin deeper and deeper into filthiness, until the adversary claims them for oneself, significantly jeopardizing their opportunity to repent, to be forgiven, and to be blessed with all the blessings of eternity. Has everyone who believes in the reality of paranormal phenomena had some kind of direct experience of them? It was found that 68 percent of the general population definitely believe in spiritual and psychic experiences, but only 26 percent admit that they had had any psychic or spiritual experience themselves. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

If we persist in our sins, we forget the covenants we have made with the Lord, even though we keep capsizing because of the imbalance that those sins create in our lives. Like the cracks in the Oroville dam needed to be fixed before they lead to catastrophic flooding putting millions of lives, property, and livestock in danger, the cracks in our lives need to be dealt with. Some sins will require more efforts than others to repent of. We must strive to obey all the commandments and pay close attention to those that are hardest for us to keep. The Lord will be at our side, helping us in times of need and weakness, and if we demonstrate a sincere desire and act accordingly, God will make weak things become strong. Among members of the American Parapsychological Association, 90 percent of them have a belief in spirituality, and 59 percent said they had at least some experience of it themselves. Obedience to the laws of God will give us the strength to overcome sin. We must also understand that the trial of our faith requires us to obey, often without knowing the results. We must keep the great truths of the gospel steady in our minds, and may we keep our lives free of the cracks that can impede our safe journey through the sea of this life. Success in the Lord’s way has a price, and the only way to achieve it is to pay that charge. Life is different for each of us. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

We all have a time of trials, a time for happiness, a time for making decisions, a time for overcoming obstacles, and a time for taking advantage of opportunities. Occasionally there have been doubts about whether the Gothic smile worn by saints and angels is a smile at all. The Cambridge scholar Paul Binski wondered if these smiling faces did not carry a special menace, while the smile worn by a queen on a statue-column from Saint-Thibaut, Provins, was for a time thought to have been the product of skillful restoration in the early twentieth century and not, in fact, an original feature of the work. This how now been refuted by the scholar Pamela Z. Blum, who nevertheless in 1990 made the following remarks about the statue of a queen in the right embrasure of the central portal of Chartres Cathedral: “Although not a true smile, a look of awareness enlivens her face. Her lips, parted, slightly pursed, and tucked in at the corners, complete the lifelike response suggested by her observant gaze from under partially lowered lids.” If this is not a faint smile, it is difficult to imagine what facial expression worn by the anonymous queen would match this description. The queen smiles, and the more puzzling question is what might count as a true smile. But we believe there is more to it than this. The phenomenon of smiling seems at odds with the expressive character of the Christian religion as charted in the Gospels, apocryphal and hagiographic literature, and indeed much Christian art. Human beings are rooted in pure Spirit; they are some part of Life. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

Humans are an incarnation of God, and no matter what the inward conflicts may be or what may have occasioned them, there is a way for a person to get a complete clearance from them without the elaborate process of analysis. If people could forgive themselves for all the mistakes they may have made, if they could get clearance in their mind from the fear that there is some God condemning one, that some terrific evil awaits him or her hereafter, one would get complete relief. There would be an overwhelming impression conveyed in one’s formality, grandeur, power, and distance. The Gothic smile is connected to language, there is also some kind of recognition that the smile functioned as a sophisticated metaphysical sign, a natural channel of holy wisdom. The glory of God is intelligence. If it is true that at the core of every neurosis there is a sense of being rejected, attended by a consciousness of guilt from which arises a feeling of insecurity and an attitude of stress, the starting point for clearance of the inward burdens that are too heavy to bear and the conflicts that tear so many people apart is to get a clearance in our own mind about ourselves and our relationship with God. Some might think that this is a way whereby one excuses oneself from doing wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

While the sense of condemnation for others may remain in our minds, we have to understand that a consciousness of love is the basis for the assurance we need, a feeling that divine love gives of itself, that we give of ourselves, and that there is nothing in us that can project anything but love and peace and joy to others. Whenever an individual arrives at complete self-forgiveness, while also understanding that any cause one sets in motion toward others will react upon oneself, one has reached a place where his or her judgments are no longer harsh. The individual becomes a kind and loveable person and has peace within one’s own mind. There can ne no peace until this clearance is made. Forgiving and being forgiven, loving and being loved, living and letting live, is the simple basis for it all. Just to be yourself in God. Just to be simple and spontaneous. Just to live as though today is God’s day and you may rejoice in it. Measured by this celestial standard, it is apparent that those who impulsively drop out and cut short their education not only disregard divine decree but frustrate the realization of their own potential. Participating in ordinances and honoring the associated covenants will bring you marvelous light and protection in this ever-darkening World. Regardless of the time the Lord, in his wisdom, determines to grant each of us, one thing we can be sure of: we all have today to live, and the key to making our day successful is to be willing exercise faith. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7