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The Human Heart is so Fond of Happiness
The human heart is so fond of happiness, that we give easy credit to what we wish. Happy are they who are blessed with the power of making happy. When I was a child, I remember my parents would take me and my sister Toy R Us, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. We would pull up and see the colourful letters on the building all lite up, bright and glittering. Then the interior of the store was bright and smelled good and as we walked through the door, we were greeted by Geoffrey and then were allowed to go pick out a toy or two. Opening the toys and the smell of the plastic was always a joy. It was fun to go through this big amusement park of toys, the shelves were so tall, and there was every toy a child could ever dream of and the people are the cash register were always nice and smiled. My dad used to say, “I see the light shining in your faces. That light comes from the Lord, and as you radiate that light, it will bless you and many others.” Nevertheless, I was so sad to hear that Toy R Us is going bankrupt and the younger generation of children will not get this same opportunity. They are losing business because people are ordering things online instead of going to the store and buying them. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
I do not think patience is something that any of us grow up with in a large dose. It is a World of instant gratification. Nothing is more idle than to inquire after happiness, which nature has kindly placed within our reach. Instead gratification is great, especially when it is for good behavior. A dream is a wish fulfilled. There was this intelligent lady patient, and she had a dream where her wish was not fulfilled. She wanted to give a supper, but had nothing available except some smoked salmon. So, she thought about going shopping, but then remembered it was a Sunday afternoon, when all the shops were closed. The lady then tried to ring up a few caterers, but the telephone was out of order. Accordingly, she had to renounce her desire to give a supper. The human mind, in its eager, though too often unavailing, struggle for happiness, will still make the most of its means. Agreeable circumstances, arising in a disagreeable prospect, convey the greatest happiness that can be imagined. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
These are people of great promise. They have much to do in their lives. They will do great work in their homes, in the Church, and in the community. The patient’s husband, an honest and capable meat salesman, had told her the day before that he was growing too fat, and that he meant to undergo treatment for obesity. He would rise early, take physical exercise, keep to a strict diet, and above all accept no more invitations to supper. She proceeds jestingly to relate how her husband, at a table d’hote, had made the acquaintance of an artist, who insisted upon painting his portrait, because he, the painter, had never seen such an expressive head. However, her husband had answered in his downright fashion, that while he was much obliged, he would rather not be painted; and he was quite convinced that a bit of a pretty young girl’s posterior would please the artist better than his whole face. (To sit for the painter. And if he has no backside, how can the nobleman sit?) She is very much in love with her husband, and teases him a good deal. She has asked him not to give her any caviar. What can that mean? #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
To do all of this, one needs to develop a testimony and have faith in Christ, to focus on Christ rather than the World. They are righteous children of God, and he loves them and want to help them. As a matter of fact, she had wanted for a long time to eat a caviare sandwich every morning, but had grudged the expense. Of course, she could get the caviar from her husband at once is she had asked for it. However, she has, on the contrary, begged him not to give her any caviar, so that she might tease him about it a little longer. However, this explanation seems thin. Unconfessed motives are wont to conceal themselves behind just such unsatisfying explanations. We are reminded of the subjects hypnotized by Bernheim, who carried out a post-hypnotic order, and who, on being questioned as to their motives, instead of answering: “I do not know why I did that,” had to invent a reason that was obviously inadequate. There is probably something similar to this in the case of the patient’s caviar. It is clear that in waking life she is compelled to invent an unfulfilled wish. Her dream also shows her the non-fulfillment of her wish. However, why does she need an unfulfilled wish? #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
One wants to make their own decisions, but one ought to make those decisions with an eternal perspective. With age, experience, and faith, one will have the wisdom to make good decisions and also to make the rights one. People know where to get the right answers. The ideas elicited so far are insufficient for the interpretation of the dream. I press for more. After a short pause, which corresponds to the overcoming of a resistance, she reports that the day before she has paid a visit to a friend of whom she really is jealous because her husband is always praising this lady so highly. Fortunately, this friend is very thin and lanky, and her husband likes full figure. Now of what did this thin friend speak? Of course, of her wish to become rather plumper. She also asked my patient: “When are you going to invite us again? You always have such good food.” Now the meaning of the dream is clear. I am able to tell the patient: It is just as though you had thought at the moment of her asking you that: Of course, I am to invite you so that you can eat at my house and get fat and become still more pleasing to my husband! I would rather give no more suppers! #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
You know the light by which you may judge, which is the light of Christ. The dream tells you that you cannot give a supper, thereby fulfilling your wish not to contribute anything to the rounding out of your friend’s figure. Your husband’s resolution to accept no more invitations to supper in order that he may grow thin teaches you that one grows fat on food eaten at other people’s tables. Nothing is lacking now, but some sort of coincidence which will confirm the solution. The smoked salmon in the dream has not yet been traced. How did you come to think of salmon in your dream? She replied: “Smoke salmon is my friend’s favorite dish.” It happens that I know the lady, and am able to affirm that she grudges herself salmon just as my patient grudges herself caviar. This dream admits of yet another and more exact interpretation—one which is actually necessitated only by a subsidiary circumstance. Sometimes dreams dovetail into one another, and furnish an excellent example of the usual ambiguity of dreams, as of all other psychopathological formations. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
In our society today, many people blame others for their failures. We have observed that those who accept personal responsibility for their actions are more successful than those who blame their shortcomings and lack of accomplishments on someone else. Her friend, too, had expressed a wish, namely, to get fatter, and it would not surprise us if our patient had dreamt that this wish of her friend’s—the wish to increase in weight—was not fulfilled. Instead of this, however, she dreamt that one of her own wishes was not fulfilled. The dream becomes capable of a new interpretation if in the dream she does not mean herself, but her friend, if she has put herself in the place of her friend, or, as we may say, has identified herself with her friend. I think she has actually done this, and as a sign of this identification she has created for herself in real life an unfulfilled wish. However, what is the meaning of this hysterical identification? To elucidate this more exhaustive exposition is necessary. Identification is a highly important motive in the mechanism of hysterical symptoms; by this means patients are enabled to express in their symptoms not merely their own experiences, but the experiences of quite a number of other persons; they can suffer, as it were, for a whole mass of people, and fill all the parts of a drama with their own personalities. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
We can let the light within us show in many differ ways. Maybe someone is jealous because you are more heavy set than they are. Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist in the 17th century. He is considered the most influential artist of Flemish Baroque tradition. Ruben’s highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of classical and Christian history, which included full figured women, and some of his paintings are now worth millions. They were known as women clothes with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet. So, you have to learn to love and accept yourself for who you are. As you see, some people are paying millions for art that is considered beautiful. Thin people are also beautiful. It is a good idea to be comfortable with yourself. Sometimes a smile goes far. Your effort to be friendly may give someone’s day a good start and it might be something they look forward to. A person who smiles every day, even when it is raining might change someone’s life. Each one of us can be a friend to someone, even if it is only by smiling. You can let the Sunshine that is in your heart show in your face. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Divinity, Eternity, and Family go Together!
The family is the most important place and there is no other setting that comes close in comparison. We are members of a Heavenly Family, and the faithful will be blessed for obedience. Whenever anything so basic as the eternal family is imperiled, we have a solemn obligation to speak out, lest there be critical damage to the family institution by those who seem to be deliberately destructive of it. Family systems are built on the foundation of love, attachment, loyalty, trust, which in turn fulfills safety and status needs. At every stage of life, our relationships and families present us with both joys and challenges. Learning to manage stress, to understand our own emotions and behaviors, and to communicate effectively can help strengthen our own emotional health, as well as our connections to the important people in our lives. If we are to be the Savior’s disciples, if we are to become like him, then we must serve one another, then we must assume responsibility to help with one another’s needs, and we must assist each other through the difficult pathways of life. When it comes to family, we must be willing to bear each other’s burdens, willing to mourn together, and be willing to comfort each other, as the family is the most important place. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
It is a disgrace to every man and woman that has sense enough to live not to take care of their own relatives, their own poor, and plan for them. The commandments and standards of morality set by the Lord himself are under attack on every hand. There are false teachers everywhere using speech and pornographic literature, magazines, radio, and the television, street talk—spreading heresies which break down moral standards. This is a serious matter. It is a grave responsibility, and not an easy one. We are living in perilous times as more and more individuals dishonor their family. Relationships can be difficult, but when it comes to family they can be heartbreaking if things go astray. Having an estranged family member, whether it be a sibling, child, parent, or someone in the extended family comes with stress and frustration. Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gather of evil around us. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
God wants us to provide for our family, and especially those in our own house, and if we are disloyal to our family, we are worse than an infidel. What that means is we do not hurt our family on purpose, nor do we set them up, nor lead them astray. We are supposed to love and protect each other, and guide one another to do what is righteous. Family needs are not always physical. Often faith, forgiveness, encouragement, comfort, counsel, listening, teaching, moral support, examples of loving and caring, and a host of other experiences will see loved ones through a crisis—and their crisis needs may last a lifetime. However, time with a family member may pay the greatest dividends of all. God wants us to look past negative feelings and turn to him in our time of need. If a relationship is broken, it does not matter whose fault it is, what stage of grief you are in, or if you plan to reconnect with the family member. God wants us to be open and communicate our feelings and stress, love and gratitude with him—God will listen! #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
We have always understood that the foundations of the family, as an eternal unit, were laid even before this Earth was created. Society without basic family life is without foundation and will disintegrate into nothingness. God has a plan in motion for the future relationship for you and your estranged loves ones. Trusting in God will help us get through the difficult times, such as the holidays and birthdays. There is no righteous way to avoid the commandment: Honour thy father and thy mother and your days on this Earth shall be long (Ex. 20.12). No family that hopes to endure eternally can exclude grandmother and grandfather, brothers and sisters, or other relatives. Heaven forbid that any family member—regardless of age or special needs—should be considered a burden. Would it not be wonderful if family members would counsel together as they make plans to assist those in need? Because of personal experience, I am a true believer that families who will fast and pray together can cause miracles to happen. They can literally pray righteous things to take place. Oftentimes it may take longer than we feel is necessary before it happens, however. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
We of all people should not be taken in by the erroneous belief that because many people are losing their minds, and selling their souls that this is a sign of the times. What they mean is that the World is ending and we should just sit back and watch it fall apart. However, that is not true and the arguments that somehow the family unit is tied to a particular phase of development a mortal society is going through. We are free to resist those moves which downplay the significance of the family and which play up the significance of selfish individualism. We know the family to be eternal. We know that when things go wrong in every other institution in society it must be fix or it will cease to exist. Those who, whether in ignorance or malice, attack the family are setting in motion an awful and needless cycle of misery and despair, for they will search in vain and pain for substitutes, and the wisdom of the Worldly wise shall perish publicly for their folly concerning the family. The decline in many of our families is occurring at a time when the nations of the World are moving into some of the most difficult times know. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Do not let the lures of the moment draw you away from the family. We humbly pray to God that you forgive us for our sins, and that you have endless mercy and compassion. Gracious God, we ask that you, through your powers of love and righteousness, restore our relationships in our family. Soften out stubbornness and open our eyes and heart to true love. Father in Heaven, we ask you to right this wrong that Satan has brought into our lives, and that you bring our family back together again. Please remove this instrument that Satan has used to tear our family apart. God, you are all about family and we ask you to bring reconciliation so that we may be allowed to restore the family bond we had before Satan interfered. Hear our cries of sorrow. Heal our hearts and remove this burden that has swept down on us like a plague of vultures, and bring us back together as a family. Permissiveness will not pull us through such crises. Materialism will not sustain us. Our political institutions—parliaments, congresses, and assemblies—cannot rescue us if our basic institution, the family is not intact. Peace treaties cannot save us when there is hostility instead of love in the house. We want our family to show each other love and support. And God continue to forgive us of our sins. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Heavenly father, help us start rebuilding a relationship with our estranged family members. We pray for guidance to say the right things and courage to be a good example. Law enforcement cannot safeguard us if too many people are unwilling to discipline themselves or be disciplined. Rising generations who have been taught that authority and loving discipline are wrong will not keep the faith commandment, honor their fathers and mothers. We hope that parents are using the added time that has come from the time God has granted us to teach, love, and nurture their children. We also must never forget the need for family activity and recreation, for which time is also provided, is an important aspect of bonding. Let your love for each member of your family be unconditional. Where there are challenges, you fail only if you fail to keep trying. And we genuinely welcome and love every race, creed, and culture who care about the family. We must teach each other correct principles and help each other walk uprightly before the Lord—and there is no substitute for teaching our children by the eloquence of example. God, wrap your loving arms around our family and fix the broken relationships. Amen. Thank you. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
1164 Morning Glory Circle
There will always be something worth living for while there are shimmery afternoons. Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Do not wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it is at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. Pause for a moment an enjoy the elegant show window of a prestigious furniture store. Let the beautifully designed sofa, and the comfortable-appearing chairs and the coffee table catch your eyes. Gaze at the amazing chandelier positioned overhead, and let your eyes rest as you image yourself relaxing with the evening paper. Each person is passionate about his or her own projects and is primarily interested in cultivating them with the minimum outside interference. To some extent, modern humans are capable of governing themselves, but their individual resources are insufficient. In order to prevent constant collision and frustration, some agency is required which will supervise a set of rules that is designed simply to serve this limited purpose. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
The image of the perfect ruler that of the umpire or referee who controls the game without participating in it himself or herself is the ideal protector of humanity. There will also be times when you will have to demonstrate your righteous courage in plain view of your peers, the consequences of which may be ridicule and embarrassment. Additionally, in your World, skirmishes with an adversary will also be fought on a silent, solitary battlefield in front of a screen. The political skeptic of government warns against the tendency of the specific activity of government to turn into something more grandiose and quite different. For there are many who dream of a perfectly harmonious condition of affairs and who deplore the waste and lack of planning in modern life. Such people regard the government as a vast reservoir of powers that are to be captured and guided in the direction of their own political dream. Politics thus becomes an encounter of dreams, and the umpire abandons his or her position and begins to play the game on his or her own account. In life, as in business, there has always been a need for those persons who could be called finishers. Their ranks are few, their opportunities many, their contributions great. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
From the very beginning to the present time, a fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us who runs the race of life. Shall I falter or shall I finish? On the answer await the blessings of joy and happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the World to come. For the skeptical conservative, one dream is on par with any other. Governments are not, and cannot be expected to become, repositories of truth: any such claims are impostures. A government that actually governs, rather than imposing some dream or other upon its subjects, will be guided, not by a vision of truth, nor by the attempt to impose one project upon its subjects, but by the evolution of the society it rules. Social life constantly generates new situations: some activities decline and new ones arise, a process which requires an adaption of the rules governing the society. However, the changes in the rules should always grow out of, rather than be imposed upon, the life which they regulate. Further, changes should be made economically or else they may lose their effectiveness. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
Frequent changes are deplorable in that they give rise to feverish hopes and disappointments which encourage further dreams of taking over the resources of government. All human achievements have been made (and sustained) in the face of great difficulties: authorities exist to guard such achievements and traditions against the continual threat of human folly, laziness, blindness, and stupidity. Conservatism stresses our responsibilities to our duties rather than on rights. We are not left without guidance to make this momentous decision. The Holy Bible contains those accounts, even those lessons, which, if carefully learned, will serve us well and be as a beacon light to guide our thoughts and influence our actions. As we read, we sympathize with those who falter. We honor those who finish. The moment God put a dream in your heart, the moment the promise took root, God not only started it, but he set a completion date. God is called the Author and the Finisher of our Faith. He would not have given you the dream, the promise would not have come alive, if God did not already have a plan to make it come true. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
Maybe at one time you believed that you could do something extraordinary. You had a dream of living the apple pie life, with a big house, two fancy cars, a three-bedroom house with three full bathrooms, and two main bedrooms, rooms big enough to fit more than one bed, stained glass windows, a washer dryer combination that literally does everything for you…washes, rinses, dries, and shuts off…in one continuous operation…without watching. Once you have tossed in soiled clothes, add Persil Pro Clean, set the time and temperature dials, your work is finished. Take them out at your leisure…clean, completely dried, and “Sun-freshed”…ready to iron, or fold and put away. Your hands never touch water, never come in contact with bleaches nor detergents. Wash at any time of the day, up to ten pounds of clothes. And then zip through a big family ironing in record time with the new Kenmore Automatic Ironer Machine, which features two roll speeds—fast for flat work and slow for fancy ruffles and frills. Both shoe and press controls helps to free hands for guiding work. With an exclusive adjustable light for best work area illumination. And a new, large drop-leaf, laps shelf. Easily accessible release bar. White baked-on enamel finish, and hinged cover and chrome hardware. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
You believed that you could have a twin top with griddle where you could roast a turkey and all the trimmings, broil other meats and vegetables, fry apple rings on the griddle—all this at the same time! With a smokeless waist-high broiler that is over-size. Chrome-plated broiler rack that adjusts easily to desired height. You dream of an oven with a deep Roast-R-Pan and trivet. With a Visi-bake own door that lets you have the fun of seeing what is cooking; peek-switch turns on oven light. Three giant, two standard top burners, and two Warm-R-Burners. Cook top covers with baking charts inside. Two utility drawers. And a Kenmore garbage burner where you dump food scraps, sweeper dirt and rubbish—anything burnable with a heavy-gauge steel body with a smooth, metallic brown baked-on enamel finish that has a top, grate, burner that is sturdy, warp-resistant cast iron. And of course, a kitchen with an automatic dishwasher, and a Coldspot freezer that can store up to 350 meals and have eleven convenient food store sections. With a quick-freeze compartment, three food elevator baskets, two storage baskets and adjustable basket. Ready rack to store juices, ice cream and small items. Along with a Coldspot refrigerator with rust proof structural aluminum shelving and an automobile type door lock. Color-tone interior beauty…gleaming white porcelain enamel with colorful harmonizing trim. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
God is telling you do not let lies play around in your mind. Your dream is not over. Keep thinking about the details of what you want. God set a completion date. It does not matter how long it has been or how impossible it looks. If you will stay in faith and not talk yourself out of it, it is just a matter of time before your dreams come true. Just because it has not happened yet does not mean it is not going to happen. God has already lined up the right people, the right opportunities, the right answers. Everything you need is already in your future. Let go of the doubt, shake off the discouragement. Whether it has been a year or one hundred and twenty-two years, what God promised you he still has every intention of bringing it to pass. In the Scripture, it reports that the Holy Spirit revealed to a man called Simeon that: he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah (Luke 2.26). You can image how far out that promise seemed. As time went by, and Simeon did not see any sign of the Messiah, negative thoughts came: “You heard God wrong. It has been too long. It is never going to happen.” #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
Nevertheless, Simeon awakened every morning believing, expecting, and knowing that it would happen, and one day it did. The promise came to a dramatic fulfillment and Simeon declared, “My eyes have seen God’s salvation!” I am keeping the faith that my dream will come true. I want a house just like Darrin and Samantha Stephens from Bewtiched, and exact replica down to the furniture and appliances, the only difference is I want a turret with a witches cap. And God is saying to all of us, in reference to our dreams, science does not matter, have faith and know that he is going to finish what he started. No one and nothing can stop God from fulfilling his promises. And God put that promise of that house in my heart as a kid. God promised to bring even the secret petitions of our hearts to completion. Some will try to push us down, steal our dreams, and talk us into settling for mediocrity, but we need to have this new attitude and believe that whatever God started in our lives, he will finish. Will you keep believing even though it looks impossible? Will you stay in faith, even though every voice tells you it is not happening? #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
Samantha had no idea that she would ever meet Darrin, that they would get married, but they kept bumping into each other. One day, he came home from work and told her that he no longer wanted to live in someone else’s house with furnishings and curtains they picked out, and surprised her with a house he bought while she thought he was at work. It was a dream come true. If people want to believe the things in movies and on the Silvertone Console matched five-ply mahogany veneer television with magnificent “Photo-Tune” pictures that brings all the magic of no glare into our living rooms are real, could you image how much better our lives would be if we focused on the good stuff, and had faith in God? The Scripture says that for years Rachel desired to have a baby, but she had fertility problems. After she had given up on her dreams, it reported that: God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive (Genesis 30.22). It does not say that Rachel remembered God, but she must have been living right. So somewhere in her heart and mind she kept the divine law active. This is how much God wants you to fulfill your destiny. So, what are the incompletions in your life that you need to stay in faith about? #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
Lust of power, greed of popularity, and disdain for honor have every appeared as faces of failure in the panorama of life. Captivated by their artificial attraction, many noble souls have stumbled and fallen, thus losing the crown of victory reserved for the finisher of life’s great journey. We cannot impress upon you enough, it is best to be popular with God because eternal life is important. There is more to come after life on Earth and you do not want to spend your eternity in Hell. The damned do further evil in Hell. By doing further evil, they lose more being. The damned are confined in different places according to the second nature that they have acquired for themselves. Those, for example, who have given into wrath during their Earthly lives will be consigned to a place with like-minded people. The damned can then act according to their second nature and the sufferings and pain which they undergo emerge from their behaviour, as well as the behaviour and acts of others around them. So, people who are wrathful in their Earthly life, will be attacked and torn apart by others wrathful people. The damned cannot affect anyone with their evil actions as long as the person affected are the damned and so no further evil done. They wanted to live foul and that is what they will experience. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
Though Jesus was tempted by the evil one, he resisted. Though he was hated, he loved. Though he was betrayed, he triumphed. Not in a cloud of glory or chariot of fire was Jesus to depart mortality, but with his arms outstretched in agony upon a cruel cross. Mortality ended. Immortality began. Times change, circumstances vary, but the true marks of a finisher remain. Know them well, for they are vital to our success. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in humans. Recognize that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly. Courage becomes a living and active virtue when it is regarded as determination to live. When the burdens of life become heavy, when trials test one’s faith, when pain, sorrow, and despair cause the light of hope to flicker and burn low, communication with our Heavenly Father provides peace. Behave like a child of God, this is one who will finish life. Helaman 15.5 reports: Walk circumspectly before God, and observe and keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses. I pray that we will all be a finisher in this race of life and thus qualify for that precious prize: eternal life with our Heavenly Father in the celestial kingdom. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
The Details of Human Behavior are Unpredictable
God will hold us responsible for all the wonderful things on Earth that we refuse to enjoy. It is better than we should be servants of a kind master than the slave to our own wild passion. All conservatives are united in the belief that human affairs are extremely complicated and that the details of human behavior are unpredictable: this we may call the complexity thesis. The nature of human beings is intricate; the objects of society are of the greatest possible complexity: and be suitable either to human’s nature to qualify their affairs. Many conservatives have accepted some version of the doctrine of original sin and have taken the view that government is ordained by God as a remedy for human defect. It is heartwarming for us to receive so many good wishes from you all during the past six months and to feel your acceptance. Many of you have reported that you are praying for our President. We feel that spiritual strength and gratefully acknowledge it—both to you and to our Father in Heaven. Most people have agreed that virtue, stability, and civilization depend on the continuity of long-established institutions. Political stability is founded on state, church, and family, whole moral stability rests upon a strong sense of duty, preferably buttressed by religious belief. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Conservative accounts of the nature of humans may emphasize either our enduring sinfulness or our frailty. The only position conservatives cannot take without ceasing to be conservative is the belief that people are fundamentally good and perhaps ultimately perfectible. Jacob 4.13 reports: The Spirit speaks the truth and does not lie. Wherefore, it speaks of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly for the salvation of our souls. Religion is not a thing apart from life. It is not principles and ordinances or missionary work or leadership as an end in themselves. It is manifested by the kind of people we are, by our relationship with our Heavenly Father and his Son and all the commandments, by the measure in which we qualify for the approval of our own Spirit-guided conscience, and by the way we treat other people. It is a continuing marvel to me how well and with what grace and unselfish goodness so many live this sacred commandment. And is it sad to think that some may, in joyless version of the gospel, miss the special blessing awaiting on the path established by our Savior and leading to the highest joy through Christian service and sacrifice. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
I never trust writers or entertainers who say critics do not bother them. Adversity is all about us and among us. It is an inevitable element of mortality, and many have some share in it ultimately. An explosive device detonates on London Subway, on 15 September 2017, injuring commuters. This is the fifth attack on London in 2017. Authorities confirm in this specific attack 29 people were injured at Parson Green Tube station in Southwest London. Thankfully there were not life-threatening injuries. God and Christ love us with a mature, perfect love. The plan by which they lead requires mortal instruments of their love. We have the great honor to be invited to be such instruments. We need them, but they also need us. In this service, we find the foundation of those blessings that God wants us to enjoy. If you will always be more fair and more kind to others than a few of them may sometimes be to you, you will enjoy every sweet blessing life afford. The sweetness of true Christian service is often experienced in obscurity—in quiet rooms in houses and hospitals and places of confinement, in military barracks, schools, and in other places far from public attention. Usually it is unheralded, but it reflects the standards set by the Savior for those who will inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the World. These are they who serve the hungry and the thirsty and the unclothed and homeless and those who are sick and imprisoned, and who do this after the pattern in the spirit of God. To those who so serve God promised eternal life. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Do you not supposed that this is all; for after you have done all these things, if you turn away the needy, and unclothed, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, is you have, to those who stand in need—if you do none of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and nothing will come to you because you are hypocrites who do deny the faith. Empathy cuts through our isolation, generating a network of interconnection. Empathy brings our heart out of the cold. Empathy makes compassion possible. However, empathy also needs an empathic boundary, meaning we sometimes need to take a step back so we do not get overly absorbed in or identified with others’ emotional states—standing back just far enough to keep them in clear focus, resonating with what they are feeling without losing ourselves in it. Being empathetic does not mean putting up with other people’s emotional and mental nor physical mess because we feel what they are feeling, but it does make it very difficult to dehumanize them, regardless of how strong a stand we might need to take with them. Empathy helps keep us from getting numb, heady, or overly detached. It begins with and reinforced vulnerability. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Emotional literacy blends emotional sensitivity, understanding, and savvy. It means knowing what you are feeling while you are feeling it, and being able to both contain and openly express it. That spirit is still operative among the people of the Church. We should not have to talk about our religion to others, our values should come through like the Sun in the Summertime. One of the first steps in developing greater emotional literacy is uncovering whatever shame you might have about your lack of such literacy. We need to cultivate intimacy with our emotions, getting close enough to all of them, to know them and our ways of handling them from the inside. The people whom they served have looked upon them with almost the reverence that they might have bestowed upon the Savior himself. And when they have experiences this purifying blessing—the blessing of service. Each of your emotions is worth getting to know very, very well—its nature, its purpose, its expression, its containment, its value, your history with it, your use of it. Across the World, such individual investment of self in service is happening, following the example and teachings of the Lord, who laid upon the altar his very life for the blessing of others. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Sometimes hurts to the heart are more damaging than physical blows. Yes, they may take longer to heal, but they will heal more quickly if we avoid bitterness and anger and practice forgiveness. The royal law of love is of sacred significance in the Lord’s program for his people—an element as vital as any other in the gospel. It is inseparable from them and the spirit of them. It is well known to us institutionally; indeed, the Church to which we have the honor to belong is celebrated for knowing and acting upon it on occasions of great need across the Earth. Courage is an essential attribute, for without it other highly valued qualities, like compassion and integrity, would lack the strength and resolve needed to shift into actions. Take pride in what we (and others) have done can be a beautiful part of honoring ourselves and others. The human soul is infinite and not in the least under its own command. Love: an absorbing concentration on some one object, an intense movement to a single point, a gravitation of your whole being around a solitary centre. May we honor that commandment and those who do so well personally to accept God’s invitation to impart to others both temporally and spiritually, according to their needs. That we may do so, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Star Struck: Be Perfect Like Your Father in Heaven
Stronger thinkers are apt to be great breath-holders, but holding one’s breath against belief is not doubting. As children, many of us are taught that the voice of conscience is the voice of God and, hence completely reliable. It is akin to reason which enables us to distinguish right from wrong. On the romantic comedy Three’s Company, the tall, thin, smart, pretty, and successful nurse called treated a man called Brett Wade in an episode called Star Struck. Brett Wade is tall, handsome, blonde and a charming actor on a soap opera called County Hospital, and ironically, he injured himself and had to go to the hospital and that is how he met Terri. Brett’s manager sees that Terri is a nice girl and thinks she is just what Brett needs as a facelift for his sleazy reputation. Brett is against dating Terri because she is not his type, but his manager tells him that if he does not, then the studio will cancel his contract because they do not want to represent someone with a reputation for being a troubled man. So, Brett takes Terri out on a date and of course she is star struck, then he asks her to marry him, and she agrees. Terri’s roommate Janet is all excited for the wedding, but Jack is suspicious because he knows that Brett has a bad reputation. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
Every prohibition must conceal a desire. The next night, Brett shows up at Jack’s restaurant called Jack’s Bistro with Shirley, a beautiful blonde, who like furs, expensive jewelry and likes to drink. While eavesdropping, Jack hears Brett telling Shirley that he is going to marry Terri and as soon as his contract is renewed, he is going to rush to Mexico and annul his married to Terri. Jack phone’s Terri and has her come down to the restaurant to see Shirley and Brett, which would expose the plot that Brett is cheating on Terri, but Shirley wanted some hard alcohol and has Brett rush to go get her some from a liquor store. When Terri arrives, Brett is gone, but Shirley is still there. Eventually she gets up and leaves, then Brett comes back and Jack outs him in front of Terri, and he denies everything. As Brett is clowning Shirley behind her back to Terri, Shirley walks back in to the restaurant as she realizes she left her purse on the coat rack. She hears Brett talking trash about her, and then breaks up with him. She is about to give him the diamond ring he gave her back, then asks herself, “What am I, stupid?!” and walks out of the restaurant. Terri then realizes Brett was just using him, and also break up with him. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
Brett experiences a terrible sense of guilt which is self-evident because he loses both of his girlfriends and his job. Mormon 8.40 reports: Why do you build up your secret abomination to gains and cause that a woman should mourn? Conscience is the inner perception of objections to definite wish impulses that exist in us; but the emphasis is put upon the fact that this rejection does not have to depend on anything else, that it is sure of itself. This becomes even plainer in the cause of a guilty conscience, where we become aware of the inner condemnation of such acts which realized some of our definite wish impulses. When one has been conditioned to respond in certain standard ways which are widely and strongly approved, one tends to find that one can break with such approved behavioral norms only after a genuine struggle and a stiff volitional conflict. In any case, whether we speak of the voice of conscience or the voice of our group or of learned blockage and interference patters, we often find that there are inhibitions to overcome before we can break with the mores of our peers. Jesus Challenges us to strove for excellence in all that we do—to develop our talents and abilities—and above all to live in accordance with his teachings. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
The pursuit of excellence should be major work of our lives. Many people, however, give little attention to it. Perhaps they feel that it is not possible for anyone to reach perfection in this life, and so they let the immediate pressures dominate their actions like Brett Wade did. While it is true that we cannot attain perfection in a total sense in this life, it is also true that we can attain perfection in many specific areas of activity. Furthermore, if we fail to do what we can and should do in this life, we may deprive ourselves forever of the opportunity to do those things later on and thus lose great eternal blessings. Although God gave us free will and does not infringe upon our freedom of choice, he nevertheless continues to lend us moral support. He gives us, through conscience, a means for distinguishing right from wrong. If we follow the guidance of conscience, we shall do our duty and act rightly. If we act contrary to its deliverances, we shall surely act wrongly. Heaven is not reached at a single bound, we build the ladder by which we rise, from the lowly Earth to the vaulted skies, and we mount to its summit round by round. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
Success is pretty much a matter of attitude, knowledge, and skill. Inherent ability is important, but that alone is not enough. Extraordinary people think optimistically. They dream the impossible dreams; they reach for the unreachable stars; and their achievements at times are unbelievable. This indomitable spirit also characterizes many people who have physical limitations because of war injuries, unfortunate accidents, or for other reasons have to face life against what seems to be impossible odds. There are people who strive diligently to do their best in all they do and then try to make their best better. Aaliyah Haughton participated in many outstanding presentations over the years and millions of the people who have listened to her sin know that the unreachable star of perfection has been reached in her perhaps as well as it can be here in mortality. God blessed her for her dedicated, committed service. With respect to spiritual matters, we can be perfect in this life in being honest in our dealings with others; having personal and family prayers; abstaining from the use of alcohol, tobaccos, and drugs; holding family home evenings; and in reading the scriptures daily. We can if we really want to. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
Our conscience is prescriptions reminding us of the moral views which have been taken by other members of our peer group. No one is perfect, but everyone should be striving for perfection. If we should stumble or fall as we travel life’s journey, it is important to remember many problems that we confront as so complex that we frankly have very little idea, and certainly no confirmed judgment or deliverance of conscience, as to which alternative is most worthy of being chosen. Many people are spending more money, enjoying more freedom, and driving more cars than ever before, but are also unhappy. Some of them have never know the satisfaction of doing their best at work, the joy of excelling in the class, the wonderful feeling of completing a job, any job, and looking back on it and know that they have done their best. In many such cases, where getting adequate knowledge in time available before a decision must be reached is impossible, we know in advance that we would be only too happy to do what is right if we could identify, with some reasonable degree of probability, the right alternative. A situation of this wort must frequently arise for people who cannot pass the decision on to someone. I dare you to look up at the stars, not down at the mud, and set your sights on them that, up to now, you thought were unattainable. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
There is plenty of room at the top, but no room for anyone to sit down. Who knows? You may be surprised at what you can achieve with sincere effort. Every valid moral principle must hold universally so that you will act on the maxim or principle of your action to be a universal law, binding on the will of every rational being. The Church is engaged in the greatest work in all the World—saving the souls of our Father’s children. That is really profound when someone is trying to teach you the love of God and show you how to life right so you can go to Heaven. The World is so full of others trying to hurt and take advantage of anyone they can by any means necessary. Exodus 10.17 reports: Pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague (sin) away. The wages of sin are death. That means the more we sin, the closer we get to forfaiting our eternal life with God. It is important that as children of God, each one of us knows his or her duties and be dedicated and committed in carrying them out in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. It is important that we marshal our resources and get them working together in a correlated way so that, as a family and community, we can reach our full potential in helping the Lord bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings. Our goal is perfection for all of God’s children who listen, accept, and live the gospel. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Assuming that a being cannot suffer means that one need not give that creature any consideration when it comes to how that being is treated. And that is wrong, and can lead to a great deal of suffering being inflicted. 2 Thessalonians 6 reports: God is just, he will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. Do not keep silent. Remind God of his promises again and again. Then eventually you will see what God said come true in your life. Nephi 1.13 reports: And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus. Keep moving forward, being your best, honoring God, being determined and persistent, and God will bless you. Ezra 8.22 reports: The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him. The eye of the spirit cannot be dimmed, neither can it be limited in its ability to see. Our eyes are the vision of our indwelling Lord; they are the windows of our inner spirit and are always open to the vision of truth. We are free from all illusions of weariness. Our whole being responds to the thought of life. We are alive with the great vitality of the spirit. We are alive with the spirit. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
Emotions are important sources of moral decision-making. Conscience is squarely within the rational faculty, specially part of our practical reason since it is connected to the will as well as the other emotions. The conscience cannot be lost to any person no matter how morally corrupt they become, but it can be mistaken since the very general principles may be misapplied through ignorance or faulty reasoning. The misapplication explains, to a certain extent, how conscience, oriented to good, can be involved in the performance of evil actions. However, human beings have a general drive to do good. Conscience is an implementation of a human being’s desire for good. Because we naturally have a desire for the good, we also desire the means to that goal. God will take the scars of your life and turn them into stars, and give you beauty for ashes, and will pay you back double for anything you lost. Make up your mind to endure to the end and live a good life, knowing your health will be restored, and you will get new opportunities and new perspectives. Even though it is painful for a time, it is not the end. An eternal life of love and happiness is in front of you. Believe that. May we be successful in this, our greatest responsibility, is my humble prayer, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
Envision What a Happy Ending Might Look Like
Dreams are the bright creatures of poem and legend, who sport on Earth in the night season, and melt away in the first bream of the Sun, which lights grim care and stern reality on their daily pilgrimage through the World. Human beings can achieve goodness and fulfill their nature when they act according to reason. A person who lives his or her life according to reason is a good and happy person. How necessary and important it is that we all continually strive to improve ourselves and prepare for the day when a call might come to serve in a new or more responsible position! The whole purpose of our existence in mortality is to build the kingdom of God and to prove ourselves worthy to go back to into God’s presence. To act and live according to reason is what is objectively good for every human being. However, this does not suppose that every human being knowingly desires a life lived according to reason. Wishing what is ultimately good is to desire union with God, and only those who exercise their specifying potentiality—reason—can do so. Part of what it is to suffer is to prevent someone from being what he or she ought to be, that is, to prevent him or her from flourishing. On the other hand, to cause someone to suffer is to prevent him or her from fulfilling his or her desires. Therefore, suffering is bad because it undermines or destroys what the sufferer cares about, his or her own flourishing, his or her desires, or both. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Fate is just even to rival storytellers, and balance matters. In this brief time, away from our Heavenly home and parents is a time when we are given agency for the purpose of being tried and tested in every way. There will be some days when we are stressed and sad, and we will face some hard tests. It is important to learn from them and grow from them. These experiences will teach us to be stronger. God cares and loves you very, very much. The experience of pain and heartaches, sorrows, and tribulations give us all experience; we can also make them work for our own good. Difficulties are just God’s errands. If we are sent upon them, it is an evidence of his confidence in us. Therefore, let us be glad, be happy, for it is a way of being wise. God loves you and he is ever willing to help you at all times. Just call on God through fervent prayers. God never fails; he is there, he is listening, and he cares very deeply about you. With daily prayer, scripture study, and our feet firmly planted on the road to the celestial kingdom, we have a perfect brightness of hope. God loves with a great love the people whose heart is bursting with a passion for the extraordinary. When you face situations that seem impossible, we should pray. When we ask, God releases favor. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
I remember how I seemed to float, then, down the melancholy glory of that track upon the sea, away into the World of dreams. There is a secret way of the soul which all may know, it is the way of peace and love. This secret way leads into places of joy and into the house of God. It is the way of the spirit and all may enter who will. Plant your feet firmly on the path to the celestial kingdom. Lift up your heart and let your soul rejoice, and never give up. When you ask God, angels go to work and strongholds are broken. When you ask, God beings to turn things around in your favor, and you will see the greatness of God. As love enters, fear vanishes. God will fill us with love that no fear can enter our thoughts and perfect intelligence guards and governs our every act. Our soul will rejoice at the realization of life, and we cannot be depressed because God has claimed us as his own. The light of God has come and the day of salvation is near. We need those who bring gladness into our lives. We need those who give encouragement and reflect optimism. Sincere yet simple words of praise can lift souls and bring gladness. Encouragement can be quick and simple, but it is a voice of gladness that is needed by everyone. Some things in life are precious like freedom and liberty and are very important. Many have had their lives changed permanently fighting for our freedom, but their voices of gladness overshadow the prevailing interruption and sacrifices they have made for all of us. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
You have no right to dispose of your future destiny whilst there is the least probable chance you may be reclaimed. God never made a promise that was too good to be true. Hope springs eternal for those who have the vision to trust in and to live by God’s inspired principles. Thank God for noble souls who can and do weather life’s storms with sincere voices of gladness which overshadow the present and make the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ real and strengthening. Have a faith that God can see. Put actions behind what you believe. Demonstrate your faith. You may not see how your dream could ever work out, but as you take steps in faith, you will see God open new doors. You will have the strength to do what you could not do. You will see God’s favor in unusual ways. The voices of gladness from the scriptures remind us that we do not have to walk through life alone. We do not have to run around like savages jumping on each other’s bones. Christ came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. 2 Nephi 25.23 reports: For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. Therefore, know that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Let us remember that acts of kindness with pure motives and righteous purposes can be and are encouraged to be done in quietness, gentle voices, and in privacy. We can program ourselves to build, encourage, and give strength. Moroni 7.47 reports: Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endures forever; and who is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him or her. God’s spirit and power will comfort us as we extend ourselves in help and love to those who need us. However, God’s commandment that as we love him, we must respect ourselves, suggests we must not accept disrespect from others. It is not charity to bow down in despair and helplessness. That kind of suffering should be ended, and that is very difficult to do alone. If we help individuals to relieve pain, or loneliness, or injustice in our own communities, God promises that a compassion would enter our hearts, and through the Holy Ghost sanctification could take place within our souls, and we will become more like our Savior. I pray in all humility that our faith in God may move us to such action and that we may thus know, by the Holy Spirit, the meaning of charity, so that we can exercise it in our lives. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
What secret of happiness is greater than to follow your illusions? Experience is a great teacher, except when it is not. What we make of experience—and whether it serves us or harms us—depends on the knowledge we build out of it. And make no mistake: we are all master knowledge builders, able to turn the most random events into meaningful knowledge about the World and how to operate it. Much of this knowledge is called experiential knowledge, and it lies outside our awareness, where it is difficult to see or assess. Father in Heaven, thank you for bring to completion the good work you began in us. You promised to complete our incompletions. So, thank you Lord that the fulfillment of our dreams is on the way, even the secret petitions of our hearts. You spoke the Worlds into existence, and you have us in the palm of your hands. I believe that you will make sure we complete what you put us here to do. As we move forward in faith, the foundation of greatness is being laid, which will allow us to go beyond our barriers and become everything God created us to be, and everything he intended for us to have will come to fruition. In Jesus name, Amen. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Corruption is the Enemy of Development
No program should set out to create failure or humiliate participants. The divide-and-conquer method might have been contrived in the religious and political realms, sharpened on the battlefield, and perfected in the dating game, but this technique can also be used to the individual’s advantage it is meant to harm. The divide-and-conquer may seem fruitless in modern times because the problems it creates become much more complicated as the input grows. There will always be resistance. Though power may tend to corrupt, there will always be those who believe in righteousness. Also, self-control and self-mastery leads to self-governance, and the realization that we do not necessarily need membership in a group we cannot trust. We do not need a chain of obedience or a corrupt hierarchical system. We only need leaders: preferably self-leadership that leads by healthy example. When we are isolated, we are better able to focus on our areas needing development. Our flexibility and resilience depends on the meaning we make out of a disappointing experience, and the strength of the relationships that shape, even transform, that experiences. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
One reason many leaders never make it to the top is because they never fail, leaving them at a loss when they do. It is not failure alone, but the ability to put failure to good use that creates endurance and success. When a person is able to make good things out of bad experiences, this allows one to transcend or recast painful experiences—or at least endure them with good humor. Good leaders develop good attitudes and lead to speak to people’s hearts, and not only will that individual, but also their audience will emerge from their caves of doom and gloom, like one awakened from sleep, to the World in which we live again. A collective force of free individuals living with the mindset that cosmic laws based on health, wellness, and survival are the keys to well-being. The goal is to not only ease one’s own pain, but to heal wounded feelings and mitigate the disappointment of others. This will allow us to find a common ground and cultivate a society of compassion and fraternity, as we withstand adversity, and persevere and develop relational sensibilities. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
It is important to actually get to know people and expose individuals to ideas that challenge their current ways of seeing. This will develop the ability to read people and situations with greater acuity; and help them reframe how they see difficult experiences. Sometimes a walk through a dark forest (do not try this) is exactly what we need to lead us to the light and refresh and recharge. Our feelings are a joint venture—a product of our interactions and the way we frame them, given our repertories. When we question our current way of seeing things, it also frees us to work together to map and alter the pattern. Maybe, even if it is risky, taking a new path is what we need because it will allow us to see something else, something that will illuminate our vision. The Anatomy Framework will turn our attention away from labeling people and toward what they are doing, how they feel, and how they interact. This will make it easier to make new sense of old situations in which we will caught. When we tether new actions to new ways of seeing, we will integrate new behaviors more quickly, and these behaviors will feel more natural to us and less artificial to others. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
We can be negative and look for the ugly in life and the faults and failings of those around us, or we can develop optimistic attitudes and see the beautiful in life and the good, the strong, the decent, and the virtuous in people, which brings joy and happiness. It is a matter of attitude. Many of us have an even greater interest in the creation of beautiful people—the type of radiant beauty that comes from righteous living and acceptance of God. I have observed many people who have a beauty and spiritual glow. The Lord has told us that we can be beautiful. 1 Corinthians 3.16 reports: Know you that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you. Love yourself. It is more important to stay optimistic because beauty comes from the inside out. Peace is the beauty of life. Beauty is Sunshine. The togetherness of a family. Beauty is the advancement of humanity, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. The doorway of your heart is the place where loves resides for you are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6.16). A solid foundation is the most important part of a building or of a person. We are to be the light to others, to control our anger, and reconcile bad feelings with others. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. As we live with the principles of God in our hearts, we are building a rock-solid foundation upon which our lives can safely be constructed. The Lord, the great Master Architect, have given us perfect plans and specifications to guide us in the building of our lives. These are the sacred scriptures. They contain the words of the Lord and should frequently be read and considered. By seeking the Lord through prayer and through his holy scriptures, we learn to look for the beautiful and to develop great attitudes. We achieve guidance in the building of our foundations and our lives. Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself and others, that is when you are the most beautiful. As we live righteous and unselfish rights, the Spirit of the Lord enters our souls and then radiates from us. We become beautiful, even as a holy temple is beautiful because we are happy with ourselves. Happiness is the greatest beauty secret. 2Nephi 4.16 reports: Behold, my soul delights in the things of the Lord, and my heart ponders continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Greed gives births to many ills—Crime and Corruption. The cancerous spread of corruption has been a matter of great concern to all people. Power is primarily being sought for amassing wealth, perks, and privileges. People’s welfare has become a thing of secondary importance on the agenda. Political ethics, values, ideology, policy issues, have been forgotten. Shockingly, the struggles for power has created divisions in government, businesses, and families. There is an iron rule in economics, it is Stein’s Law. If something cannot go on forever, it will stop. While divide-and-conquer seems like a great idea, the longer it goes on and the more people that get involved, the obvious it becomes, and it makes the corruption harder to hide. One may kill mosquitoes in a room by spraying insecticides, but many more will come inside from the breeding ground, the hole needs to be plugged. The breeding ground of corruption deserves to be cultured and the cause has to be located and removed. You cannot go on investigating corruption month after month, and year in and year out. There has got to be a point where the Government is able to say: “We have enough information.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
A Faint Echo of the Invitation from the Savior
Love is how we stay alive. Many of us are alive today because we felt a faint echo from God saying, “Come follow me.” The only power that exists is inside ourselves. The soul must already exist before the birth of the body because we seem to know things that were not available to us. However, it is immortality we crave. Imagine the psychological impact of being immortal. If we could be engineered by a combination of cybernetic enhancements, genetic engineering, and other scientific modification so that as humans, we would not die from aging, and it would be very hard to kill us. That would take a lot of stress off of people and we would be able to live longer to acquire money and have the freedom to really enjoy life without current limitations. Immortality has been one of humankind’s major concerns, and it has been traditionally confined to religious traditions. Many cultures believe in immortality, but many of them think that the body eventually dies and the immaterial soul (that is an incorporeal existence) has an astral body that will go on living in another realm, where we do not need money. Some believe after this life, we will enjoy all of the blessings of eternal and we have been given glimpses of what our family in Heaven will be like. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Nevertheless, many people love life on Earth, they love the families and friends that they have now and the places they live, they love their bodies and never want to leave Earth. However, Earth is a learning experience for us, a place for us to grow and show love to others, and it is believed that after we do depart Earth, we will be reunited with our families and friends and live in places where we love. The Son of God is our Redeemer and will deliver us from death. Heaven is the home of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; it is the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life. Isaiah 65.17 reports: Behold, I will create new Heavens and a new Earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. (That means we will have no memory of pain and suffering, but we will see our loved ones.) God has promised that in Heaven nothing—even the memory of this World’s sin and pain—will cast a shadow over the joy he has in store for us there. In this current World, even the memory of what someone did to us years ago can still cause us pain, but that will not be true in Heaven because our focus will not be on the past, but on Christ and what he means to us. God has come to fulfill the promises of the Prophets. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Life can be challenging at times, and today I was at home watching a TV show from the 1960s, called Bewitched. And it aired for eight years, all the way into the 1970s. Bewitched was about a beautiful witch called Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and she falls in love with a mortal guy called Darrin. It is a romantic comedy and it is pretty funny. The show was created to take the muggings in New York City off the minds of people and make them feel safe. However, after watching a few reruns of the show, I noticed that the husband Darrin was played by two different guys. The first Darrin was Dick York, but Mr. York has a secret that he did not tell the show’s producers when he was cast. He had severely injured his back doing a movie a few years before. The injury caused constant and excruciating pain. After a few years on the TV show Bewitched, everyone started to notice that Mr. York was suffering because it became routine to have scenes and plots contrived and written in which Darrin (Dick York) was sitting down, lying down, or reclining (usually sitting at his office desk at work, or in bed, or on the couch at home) as much as possible. However, because the nature of the show required physical comedy, situations would arise that would even put strain on someone in good physical condition. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
On one occasion, Darrin (Dick York) was hanging fifteen feet in the air and the technicians were shining a light in his eyes during the setup for the shot. All the flickering made him feel weird and he started feeling weak and dizzy. Mr. York asked to be lowered from the platform he was on. When he reached the ground, his body felt weak and unstable. And the shaky actor collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. And Mr. York decided to quit the show. Then another young man named Dick Sargant was hired to replace Dick York as Darrin. Although the two guys look similar, Darrin number two was not as friendly and the ratings for the show fell significantly. And while Dick York was at home suffering and having financial problems he found out that job offers had been coming in for him, but his listing with the union was somehow messed up and no one notified him. And so, examples like Dick York are why people seek immortality in the physical World. They sometimes get injured and those injuries are so bad that it limits what they can do and they even have to quit their jobs. Revelation 21.4 reports: God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death nor mourning nor crying nor pain. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Heaven will be a powerful spiritual experience. Heaven is a real place and will be filled with real people, which is why the Bible sometimes compares Heaven to a mansion with many rooms and sometimes to an enormous city teeming with people. Heaven is an eternal city. A river, clear as crystal, will flow from the throne of God down the middle of the city. On each side of the river there will be a tree of life, yielding twelve kinds of fruit every month. The streets will be pure gold, like transparent glass. The walls of the city will be adorned with every kind of jewel, emerald, onyx, amethyst, topaz, and diamonds. There will be no need for a Sun and a Moon, and no need for a temple nor church. The presence of the Lord will be it light. The Lord’s promise of eternal life is real. What happened in our past does not matter, as long as we repent and have faith and become obedient to the Lord. We are to nurture our faith, with a hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. Feasting on the word of God, heartfelt prayer, and obedience to the Lord’s commandments must be applied evenly and continually for your testimony to grow and prosper. And we will have experience in our current lives that will profoundly touch us with gratitude, awe, and confidence in the future. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Humans have always benefited from obedience to true principle. We can be assured of reaching worthy objectives in life by understanding and consistently following correct principles rooted in revealed truth. The Divine Laws are the great cosmic principles that govern the functioning of the Universe; they are at the base of all Creation. They also govern the functions of conscience, and motivate human experimentations. When we know and apply these laws, we become receptive to our Creator and to our spiritual, divine dimension. We then evolve consciously and all the mysteries of the Universe can be revealed to us. We must gain learning, but we must apply it wisely. Otherwise, we have politics without principle, industry without mortality, knowledge without wisdom, science without humanity. One of the divine laws is power of obedience to law. We must obey human laws and the laws of God, as we have freedom to act and mastery of our actions. When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. We also have the power to love and be kind to others. Worship strengthens our power to God. We must carefully and prayerfully protect the spiritual power line that links us to the Savior, and we will become more like him. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. Seek after things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Another thing we need is the love and companionship of our family and friends. This too must be earned by compliance with or obedience to certain rules of behavior. We should be kind and considerate and choose friends who love the Lord. We must be worthy of them by leading good, clean livings, and obeying the commandments of God. It is important to be thoughtful and find occupations that make us happy. It should make us happy just to know that we have the freedom to choose what we want to do to earn a living. When it comes to selecting a career, choose something that one will enjoy doing, and then do the very best one can to be honest, honorable, and upright in one’s dealings and in the services one gives. As long as we seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, know that all these other things we will be blessed with. Work diligently. Be at the right place at the right time. Maintain a degree of humbleness. Also, develop an inner driver and a competitive desire to excel rather than just get along. And foster common sense. Through obedience to these business guidelines, we will have success and happiness. We must ponder Divine Laws and reach into the very essence of what we are and what we may become. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Two Bodies and One Soul
If I say there is caviar in the mountains, you just bring the crackers. True love is two bodies and one soul. As we exercise our faith in the Savior, he will lift us up and carry us through all of our trials and, ultimately, save us in the celestial kingdom. It is undeniable that love plays an enormous and unavoidable role in our several cultures; we find it discussed in song, film, and novels—humorously or seriously; it is a constant theme of maturing life and a vibrant them for youth. Some people even believe that love is a genetic urge that dictates our behavior and others think of love as an intensely spiritual affair that in its highest permits us to touch divinity. Goodness is what all desire. Now it is clear that a thing is desirable only in so far as it is perfect, for all desire their own perfection. The goodness of a thing is tied fundamentally to its fulfillment of its nature. A thing is perfect insofar as it is fully developed and its specifying potentialities have been actualized. To love something is in part to desire for the goodness of the thing loved. The ultimate proper object of love is God, who is the highest good absolutely. God’s goodness is also revealed in every human person, given that every human being is made in the image of God. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
God loves human beings by helping them to maximize their capacity for reason, which is to love the good and act in accordance with it. However, the ultimate good is God, so the nature of human beings is fulfilled by loving and obeying God. The necessary condition for union with God is the state of freely willing only what accords with God’s will. If this is the case, God cannot ensure that all his human beings will be saved in the end and we do not want to be in their path when their feet are put to the coals. As part of our Heavenly Father’s plan, he allowed sorrow to be woven into our mortal experience. While it seems that painful trials fall unevenly on us, we can be assured that to one degree or another, we all suffer and struggle. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide us to a greater understanding why this must be so. Everyone is acquainted with some measure of loneliness, despair, grief, pain, or sorrow. Without an eye of faith and understanding of eternal truth, we often find that the misery and suffering experienced in mortality can obscure or eclipse the eternal joy of knowing that the great plan of our Farther in Heaven really is the eternal plan of happiness. There is no other way to receive a fullness of joy. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
God invites us to respond with faith to our own unique afflictions in order that we may reap blessings and gain knowledge that can be learned in no other way. We have to lean to endure to the end and to tolerate the hard work and many physical and emotional challenges. Sometimes our minds will scream at us to stop and quit, but we have to endure to the end. Nothing will beat the satisfaction from knowing that you did not give up. The Lord has the power to intervene to relieve the suffering, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Genuine beings, actual or possible, are distinguished from imaginary entities by their possessions of essential being (esse essentiae). This essential being is not a rudimentary mode of existence. It is best described as an intrinsic possibility or intelligibility which pertains to definable essences as reflections of the divine ideas. It is to be contrasted with the intrinsic impossibility and incoherence of res secundum opinionem. Actual beings are distinguished from merely possible beings by their possession of existential beings (esse existentiae). This existential being is not a principle or act within actually existing things. The difference between essential and existential being is to be found not in things themselves but in the relation of essences to God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Essential being consists in being thought by God, while existential being consists in actually depending on God as a creative Cause. Apart from the fact that each actual being, as a product of divine creativity, is individually related to God, individual things, in which specific essences are multiplied, required no explanation of their individuality. Individuation involves no addition, whether of matter or act of existence, to the intelligible essence. In analyzing the individual as such it is sufficient to say that it is internally undivided and is not identical in existence—that is, in its relation to the Creator—with any other individual. The transition from essential to existential being, or the act of divine freedom. Individual beings come into existence not from intrinsic necessity but because God freely wills to create. Divine will equally requires divine intellect. The human soul is immortal not by nature, but by divine grace. There is a tendency on the part of some to ignore, criticize, or rebel because they cannot accept the human delivery system. Some will not accept Jesus Christs as the Savior because they are waiting for a Prince of Peace to come who is not quite as human as Jesus of Nazareth. People speak of a caste society in America, which we do not have, but did you know Jesus was the son of a carpenter? And some people assumed no good could come of him. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Lack of trust in the Savior is evidence of weakness of people who are unwilling to accept the human qualities of those who care called and raised up to give direction and counsel. We, too, should not be deceived by doubter who would use the same tactics by planting thorns to destroy the harvest. How can we avoid failure of faith? By not allowing our spiritual foundation to be withered away by winds and storms of unbelievers. 2 Nephi 2.6-9 reports: Wherefore, redemption comes in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offered himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the Earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who laid down his life according to the flesh, and takes its again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the first product of God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of humans; and they that believe in him shall be saved. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
While some are struggle with an “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” attitude, they may be missing the truth, the way, and the ultimate harvest. Jesus was not accepted as the Only Begotten Son of God because thousands preferred to recognize him as “Just the child of Mary.” If our spiritual foundation is strong, we will welcome continuing revelation, change, and direction. We will develop the ability to accept releases, callings, and new challenges with enthusiasm. We will be too busy to be offended. We will be too big to be hurt. We will accept people for wat they are and what they can do and become. Change will not only drive our roots deeper, but it will also cause them to grown into new and fertile soil. That way we will be more receptive of knowledge and God. Our horizons will expand. Our Father in Heaven knows what we need. Change can be difficult. Change can be fearful. However, change in the right direction is a growing process. Each new assignment, each new experience in the gospel framework, if fulfilled to the best of one’s ability, adds new strengths. Sometimes when we are asked to be obedient, we do not know why, except the Lord has commanded. By keeping the damned from harming the innocent, God prevents (restrains) them from doing further evil, and thus prevents their further deterioration of being. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
To act and life according to reason is what is objectively good for every human being. By being in a place with like-minded people in which they can never wish and attain what is objectively good for them, the damned could never be happy in the sense that they cannot live according to the objective good, to the will of God. The evil which the damned endure in Hell constitutes suffering for them because it goes contrary to (or undermines) human flourishing. In Hell, they can never be what they ought to be, they can never increase their being, and the qualities which constitute their flourishing are absent. So, let us not forfeit the harvest. If we forfeit the harvest, we lose the satisfaction of accomplishing difficult tasks and serving better. Most of all, we forfeit the gift of eternal growth and progress. May we accept this human condition and do or best to live godly. We must continue to make marvelous contributions toward enlightenment and stay faithful in our efforts. To continue in righteousness takes personal courage and strength of commitment. God is omnipotent and the human mind is given a consciousness. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
She Went with Her Date to Get Some Coffee
We are all different. Each of us has been given talents as well as challenges. Some of us may have physical or mental limitations; others may be lonely or come from homes that do not teach gospel principles. Every physical and psychological problem is well worth the effort of investigation for its own sake, but for other reasons as well. Dr. Sigmund Freud would have thought Goldie Locks with a nymphomaniac because she liked to sleep in a different bed every night, but Dr. Freud thought all problems were related to the sex and childhood disorders. Much like the information on labels of paintings can affect, half unconsciously, our estimate of them, the same is possible when we label people without truly understanding or talking to them. Like the labels on paintings, the outward appearances of some people is often misleading. Some disabilities are more obvious than others. Many are immediately apparent, especially if someone relies on a wheel chair or cane. However, others—known as invisible disabilities are not. People who live with invisible injuries that are not mental, often times cannot take a pill and functional normally and they face particular challenges in the workplace and in their communities. Some people have debilitating fatigue and pain. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
Desire disorders, like most intimacy problems, must be defined in relation to a person’s age, gender, partner, expectations, and sexual history. It is not at all unusual for a person to briefly lose sexual desire. Typically, erotic feelings return when anger towards a partner fades, or fatigue, illness, and similar temporary problems end. Some people do not merely lack sexual desire; they are repelled by sex and seek to avoid it. A person who suffers from sexual aversion feels fear, or disgust about engaging in the sex. Often, the afflicted person still has some erotic feelings. For example, he or she may still masturbate or have sexual fantasies. Nevertheless, the prospect of having the sex with another person causes panic or revulsion. Sexual desire disorders are common. Possible physical causes include afflictions, fatigue, hormonal difficulties, and side effects of medicines. Desire disorders are also associated with psychological factors such as depression, fearing loss of control over sexual urges, strict religious beliefs, fear of pregnancy, marital conflict, fear of closeness, and simple loss of attraction to one’s partner. It is also not uncommon to find that people with desire disorders were sexually mistreated as children. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
Because Heavenly Father loves each of us, he has provided us with a source of comfort and strength—the scriptures. While growing up, I was blessed to come from a home where scriptures were an important part of our lives. I have gone to many Church activities and heard friends and family bear testimony of the power of the scripture. It gave me a desire to gain personal testimony of the power and truthfulness of the scriptures, and I am still in the process of building my faith and learning to see the blessings in my life. I know some of you say that there are bad people in the church, and there are, but imagine how bad they would be if they did not go to church. Then I have seen good people stop going to church and become the biggest sinners in the World, committing sins even against their own family for profit, while smiling in their face and acting like they do not know why an individual is going through Hell, but quick to tell that person he or she is bearing a generational curse. Some people have physical disabilities that you cannot see and they do not want to admit that, and it can be frustrating. They look normal, but there are things they should be able to do, and cannot. So, harassing them and making life hard on them can be more destructive than you even care to realize. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
When you have physical limitations, it also limits the types of jobs you can do and for how long. Many people pray for help. Moroni 7.33: Christ reported if you will have faith in me, you shall have the power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. What a wonderful promise. If we are to put our faith in the Lord, he will help us. Just take one day at a time and do your best. Some of us may face challenges every day, but daily scripture study will remind us to have faith in our Heavenly Father and focus on him, magnify God in our lives and not our problems and life will improve. What we tend to focus on, we magnify. I do not want to focus on my problems every day and only magnify them and make them worse. I want to focus on God and see the promises in the scriptures fulfilled in my life. No matter where you live or what kind of family you come from, Heavenly Father loves you and will be there to help and strengthen you whenever you need him. There is a power in goodness that is often learned in families. There is a void when it is lacking. We have to develop greater reverence for the sanctity of life, and realize all people are not the same. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues. Who does not have need of assurance in times of uncertainty and testing? Who is so self-confident that there is never a want for stabilizing influence in life? A fundamental purpose of Earth’s life purpose is growth and attainment. The level of importance people place on the sex is unbelievable! How are you supposed to get to know a person if all you are thinking about is what is in between their legs or in the place where the Sun does not shine? The reality of sex is that some people have it, some people do not, and life does not revolve around avoiding it or chasing it. There is no such thing as a normal sex life, even though many people consider sex a normal part of life. And it probably does not deserve the amount of attention it gets. Most of the push for people to have the sex is pressure that we get from the outside World. However, the sex can be damaging to our culture and self-esteem. Have you noticed since the 1990s, the style of dancing has changed, people used to dance face to face, but not their face is looking at the back of someone’s head when they dance. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
Not only that, but as homosexuals became more accepted in the community, more and more people became obsessed with butts and anal penetration. There are songs glorifying butt. Whereas, in the past, people used to talk about other features of a person like their intelligence, their pillow soft lips, their dreamy eyes, cute nose. You know, parts we can visibly see. Also, it is important to have someone who can carry a conversation and actually wants to see you. And, the butt problem is not all to blame on homosexuals because many men are just looking for more traction and that is what most obsession is about. However, companionship is the most important part of a relationship, you want to be with one person, someone you really like and can build a house with. Companionship is that state of being friends, but it goes deeper than even a friendship. It is a closeness or familiarity, a true fellowship among two people, who for whatever reasons, have truly connected. Strong couples are able to be good companions, sharing their day to day lives, personal histories, and interest together. They give verbal and physical affection like hugs, compliments, provide emotional support, and are able to help each other through tough times. It is also important to have someone to validate you. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
Also, people who are not in relationships need to have their requirements for companionship met in other ways. It is important for them to have strong bonds with their friends and family, people who know them well, and are able to understand them. We all need to know that we have an important place in someone’s life. And, some people have different needs for amount of control in a relationship, or have specific requests to feel balanced and comfortable in. Gratefully, for people who do not have support systems, and even those who do, in his perfect love, God has provided a way for us to resolve challenges while growing in strength and capacity. The sustaining power of faith in times of uncertainty and testing is a God given way that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. Faith is like high energy particles that cannot be seen. When we generate more of these particles, through trust in God no matter how challenging the circumstance, that energy travels in waves. It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum called radiant energy. And when we increase of faith in God, we are picking up on more of his radiant energy, which should counteract much of the negative energy that we have been receiving. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Radiant energy is the energy of electromagnetic waves. It is a form of energy that can travel through space. For example, we receive the heat from the Sun, which is located 92.96 miles from Earth. As you may know, when there is a solar flare, which is basically the Sun emitting more energy, the Earth tends to get hotter, and it can disrupt communication devices on Earth. So, think of an increase of your faith in God like a solar flare, you are attracting more radiant energy from God, and those electromagnetic waves are blocking out things that may be bad for you and drawing more things to you that may be good. It will take time, but you will start noticing that people are nicer to you, they are more protective of you, they want to talk to you, and eventually they will have new and exciting opportunities from God to offer you. When you change your energy, the type of energy you attract will also change. You notice that many suburban housewives are always happy and smiling when they go out and public and how people seem to worship them? Well, that is because of the energy they are putting out. And in the suburbs people talk and word gets around, so you want to be painted in the best light and have people like you. It does not mean being fake, it just means putting out good radiant energy of electromagnetic waves. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
I met a few couples, and they do not say much, but they are always nice and smile and say hi when I see them and that makes me feel good. That is the type of community I grew up in. A place where you treat everyone with respect, and you do not have to get deeply involved with people, but respect them, out of the love of God, so you can attract that same energy back to you. These people are well balanced and consistent, and they care about their reputations and would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose. Therefore, trust in God and in his willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance. Obey his commandments and live to demonstrate that he can trust you. Be sensitive to the quiet prompting of the Spirit. Act courageously on that prompting. Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and answers will come one wave at a time over an extended period. Motivating faith is centered in trust in the Lord and in his willingness to answer your needs. For the Lord does bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. The consistent, willing exercise of faith increases your confidence and ability to employ the power of faith. God loves everyone, we are all his children. 2 Nephi 2.29 reports: And choose not eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which gives the spirit of the Devil power to captivate, to bring down to Hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
The most important thing to God is to save our souls for everlasting life. The consistent, willing exercise of faith increases your confidence and ability to employ the power of faith. Electrical energy, a flow of charged particles along a conductor or the flow of ins across a membrane is much like God sending energy through your body and brain to fortify your soul. Faith is energy which is hoped for and not seen; therefore, do not dispute faith because you cannot see it. You may not know how you are going to make it, you may not know where your next blessing is coming from, but do not say it is impossible that you can press on because after the trial of faith, the blessings that come your way will be so amazing that you will receive that confirming evidence of Spirit. And those feelings will fortify your faith. As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger. The Lord knows your needs. When you ask honestly and with real intent, he will prompt you to do that which will increase your ability to act in faith. With consistent practice, faith will become a vibrant, powerful, uplifting, inspiring force in your life. As you walk to the boundary of your understanding, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. I testify that I know that is true. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Another thing is we may not always get what we want, but God will respond with what in his eternal plan is best for you. Faith is not just about instant gratification, it is an energy that will act as a conduit to get us through life, help continue to practice divine laws, and help us to go out and earn the things we want. You cannot just walk in Walmart and come out with a cart of goods and services without paying for them. You have to do something to earn that money so you can go and buy what you want. Our faith in God gives us understanding and strength. Some vital decisions many have experiences, come through sustaining through the grueling, anguish, and struggle that precedes a confirming answer. And, those experiences are edifying. It is comforting to know that God will never try you more than you can manage with his help. God uses your faith to mold your character. And there are people out there living the high life, who wished they could have held back and been isolated because some of the afflictions that are suffering with. This is not where you will always be in life. Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. You can use your faith to guide you. What you think and do will determine what you are and what you will become. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
We have to have courage to make the right decisions. This is done through contemplation and prayer, and exercising faith to willingly make choices consistent with the teachings of God. Such choices are made with trust in the electronic energy of God. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to obediently respond to the direction of the Spirit. Righteous character is what you are becoming. It is more important that what you own, where you live. Right character enables you in times of trial and testing to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly even when they seem overpowering. Neither Satan nor any other power can weaken or destroy your growing character. Only you can do that through disobedience. So, behaving is important. The more character is fortified, the more enabled you are to exercise the power of faith that will help you successfully grow so you can complete your purpose on Earth. A mother recently expressed to me that her daughter was killed on the way home from work, but because of her daughters love and support, the mother was able to continue living. That is so important because that woman gave up her career and free time make her daughter a success. Sometimes we are not living for ourselves, but we are here to support others. The power of the Lord will bless us. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
And I also lost someone who means the World to me, but much like that woman’s daughter, I feel in my heart and soul that our loved ones are still alive on this planet. And I truly believe that and we will see them again. That is my testimony of faith. And you may have had people pretend to be your loved one, but you could tell by their actions it was not them. We know our loved ones so well and that if they were here, and could come to us that they would. The Father in Heaven loves you no matter what your circumstance, no matter what winds of trial, turmoil, or tribulation whip you like a hurricane. God and his guidance through the Holy Spirit will sustain you in an increasingly more challenging World. However, I want you to believe that your loved one is not lost, like I know mine is not, and we will someday see them again. Keep your sustained power of faith. Help others understand how faith in God and his teachings can bless their lives. I know there has been something that you have believed in your life with a strong conviction and it has come to be, use that same faith and know whatever it is you are missing, if you have the faith, one day you will find it and know it is right. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
Randolph Harris II International Institute 