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Wickedness Never was Happiness
It is better to condescend to be happy than to aspire to be miserable. The civil function of religion is recognized on the basis of the correspondence between the Heavenly and Earthly city. The Heavenly cut is the norm or the ideal of human’s civil life; and precisely because it is such, its recognition means the commitment of human beings to realize, as much as possible, its characteristics in the Earthly city. Many of you are not just ordinary men and women, you are choice spirits, many of you have been held back in reserve for almost 6,000 years to come forth in this day, at this time, when the temptations, responsibilities, and opportunities are the very greatest. God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. The Christian Bible is not only the proclamation of superterrestrial happiness, but also of Earthly happiness. Religion is the confidence in the value of human’s work, in success of this work, and in the reward that humans will find in the future life. The fundamental function of religion is to support human beings in the work of civil life, in political work, and activity. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
Would you have an inconstant God, since we count a human foolish that is inconstant? God’s ways are beyond us, but he still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, all-knowing yet all-forgiving. We will spend eternity cherishing an ever-deepening relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is the story of God striving to reconnect with his children, and is a major method God uses to reach us. God the Father reached out to us most dramatically through his Son Jesus, who chose not just to visit us, but to become one of us. Born human so we can be reborn in the Spirit, Jesus showed us God’s love and character—and how far God was willing to go to save us from self-destruction. What we could not do for ourselves, he did for us, paying the price for our sins, dying in our place so we can live forever. He conquered death through resurrection, and promised to return to take us home to the Kingdom of God. Meanwhile, God has not left us alone. The Holy Spirit is here to comfort us, guide us and transform us to live as witnesses for God’s love. The same Spirit who inspired prophets and empowered Jesus, who shaped scripture and created the World, enables and empowers each one of us. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
The broadening of our existence and of our knowledge is possible historically only through the contemplation of previous existence. The study of Christian culture in its broadest aspects will promote a true philosophical knowledge of humanity, including the know of the manifold intellectual, sentient, and moral human powers. The World is a unity of diverse forces, a cultural unity which will be regained through a comprehensive study of Christianity. We should study the moral character of different human types; a great variety of sources will provide the data for establishing an ideal norm, which is not adequately represented by any specific individuality. To comprehend the wholeness in the diversity of human types requires aesthetic insight, which is fundamental to the art of the historian. The condition of the soul which gives rise to the necessity of history (in the truest and highest sense of the word) is similar to that out of which an epic is produced with the help of imagination and art. Everything that is active in World history is also stirring in the inner being of human. The ideas in history have preserved human experience in the mind. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
The eternal original ideas of everything conceivable provides existence and value, the beauty of all physical and spiritual forms, the truth in the unalterable working of every force according to its indwelling law, the justice in the inexorable course of events which are eternally regulated and meted their just reward. The goal of history is the realization of the idea representing itself through humanity from all sides and in all forms in which the finite forms can be connected with the idea. The task of the historian is therefore to represent this process of the ideas being actualizes in history. God loves you as he loves each and every one of his children, and his desire and purpose and glory is to have you return to him pure and undefiled, having proven yourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in his presence. Your Father in Heaven is mindful of you. He has given you commandments to guide you, to discipline you. He has also given you your agency—freedom of choice to see if you will do all the things whatsoever he shall command. It implies a deep-rooted subjective view of the World, a spiritual attitude, that controls the formation of concepts. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
God’s kingdom here on Earth is well organized, and your leaders are dedicated to helping you. May you know that you have the constant love, concern and prayers of the Church. It is evident that the languages are not really means of representing the truth that has already been ascertained, but far more, means of discovering a truth not previously know. Their diversity is not a diversity of sound, but of World outlook. However, Satan is also mindful of you. He is committed to your destruction. He does not discipline you with commandments, but offers instead a freedom to do your own thing—the freedom to smoke, to drink, to misuse drugs or rebel against the counsel and commandments of God and his servants. Satan knows that you are young, at the peak of physical vigor, excited by the World, and consumed by new emotions. It is curious to observe how good and bad are mingled in human institutions. Satan knows that youth is the Springtime of life when all things are new and young people are most vulnerable. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Youth is the spirit of adventure and awakening. It is a time of physical emerging when the body attains the vigor and good health that many ignore the caution of temperance. Youth is a period of timelessness when the horizons of age seem too distant to be noticed. No one falls like Lucifer from Heaven—the progress of evil is slow and not easily perceived. This, the now generation forgets that the present will soon be the past, which one will look back upon either with sorrow and regret or joy and cherished experiences. Satan’s program is play now and pay later. He seeks for all to be miserable like unto himself. The Lord’s program is happiness now and joy forever through gospel living. Out of love for God, we must live a morally clean life, as wickedness never was happiness. You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! Years of happiness can be lost in the foolish gratification of a momentary desire for pleasure. Satan would have you believe that happiness comes only as you surrender to his enticements, but one only needs to look at the shattered lives of those who violate God’s laws to know why Satan is called the Father of Lies. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
From the depths of a broken heart, many hope to warn others never to partake of the bitterness that has come on them from living foul. Many people would give all that they have or may acquire if they could go back to the happy carefree days before the first little taint of sin creeped into their heart and soul. Some scarcely realize that they were slipping into something that would bring much sorrow and ruin into their lives. Much anguish and regret fills the hearts of those who follow Satan, as they lose self-respect as life’s most priceless gift is fleeting. Because many individuals reach out too eagerly for the excitements and thrills of life, they have turned to ashes in their hands. This is what happens when people discover the burden of sin. However, you can avoid that burden and all the attending heartaches if you will but heed the standards laid down for you through the teachings of the Lord’s servants. One of the standards on which your happiness is based, now and in your future, is moral purity. The World would tell you that this standard is old-fashioned and out of date. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
The World would also have you to accept a so-called new morality, which is nothing more than immortality. However, the eternal standard of chastity has not changed. The eternal standard means keeping yourselves clean in body and mind. The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code of Heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and full fidelity after marriage. Be careful of the sexual behavior, and even necking and petting, as they lead to fornication and it is often difficult for youth to distinguish where one ends and another begins. They awaken lust and stir evil thoughts and the sex desires. Maintain your self-respect. Do not engage in intimacies that brings heartache and sorrow. You cannot build happy lives on immortality. The first condition of happiness is a clean conscience. Also, stay close to your parents. There are some things which come only with mature adulthood, and one of these is wisdom. Young people, you need the wisdom of age, just as some antiquated people need the youth’s enthusiasm for life. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
There is much to live for this lovely autumn morning. Your parents may become somewhat strict and stern from caring for you and your brothers and sisters. However, just remember, your parents are mature and have years of experience you have not had, can provide wisdom, knowledge, and blessings to help you over life’s sweetest experiences come when you go to Mom and Dad for help. There will be a bond of gratitude and love in your home. Do your part to develop real family unity and family solidarity. In such houses, there is no generation gap. This is another tool of the adversary—to drive children and parents apart. Satan wishes to have you, that he may run through you like Hurricane Harvey, leaving a path of pain and destruction after he is done. However, if you will earnestly seek guidance from your Heavenly Father, morning and evening, you will be given the strength to shun away temptation. Supplicating the Lord for the guidance of his Spirit places around us a safeguard, and if we earnestly and honestly seek the guidance of the Spirit of God, we can be assured that we will receive it. God is the eternal Father, is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
God will pour love into our souls like that of the morning mist pours over the hills into our valley. The name of God must be engrained in our hearts, and imprinted in our souls. When you pray—when you talk to your Heavenly Father—do you really talk out your problems with him? Do you let him know your feelings, your doubts, your insecurities, your joys, your deepest desires—or is prayer merely a habitual expression with the same words and phrases. Do you ponder what you really mean to say? Do you take time to listen to the prompting of the Spirit? Answers to prayers come most often by a still voice and discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. You can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you take the time to pray and to listen. Yes, beloved people, you will have your trials and temptations through which you must pass, but there are great moments of eternity which are ahead. You have love and confidence. You can live in the World and not partake of the sins of the World. You can live life joyously, beautifully, unmarred by the ugliness of sin. Beyond the darkness is the glow of rays of endless light. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
If deep within your heart you keep the vision—the dream that nothing can erase or mar, the promise of a fairer day tomorrow, will be for you a compass and a star. Look to this day, arise in all your splendor, and bear the standards of the World-to-be. However, when hate and war, distress and desolation are near, give place to justice, love, and liberty. I pray that you—the young and rising generation—will keep your bodies and minds clean, free from the contaminations of the World, that you will be fit and pure vessels to accept the kingdom of God. Do not feel badly because you are not where you want to be right this minute. Do not focus on the disappointment, the failure, or the mistakes. They were all a part of God’s plan to prepare you for the future. Keep moving forward, being your best, honoring God, being determined and persistent, and God will provide for your future. God is going before you to fight your battles and help your overcome obstacles. You will accomplish your dreams because Almighty God. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is among the most haunted places in the world. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Let Him without Sin be the Rolling Stone
It is so hard to forget pain, but it is even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace. As clever as human beings are, we rely on social groups for survival. We evolved to live in cooperative societies, and most of human history we depended on those groups for our lives. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ. In 1492, in harmony with the Lord’s vision, Christopher Columbus was divinely led to America. Christopher Columbus, himself, corroborated the fact that he was divinely led to this land. Because Christopher Columbus was led, we are here in this choice land. God gave us victory in the Revolutionary War. We are indebted to him for our nation’s independence. He has prospered us in every righteous endeavor. He established the Constitution of the United States of America. The issues we face are clear and well defined. We can repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land. The phenomenal population growth in these days is by divine power with divine purpose. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises and protection and redemption. Perhaps the greatest reason for our lives is to teach others the love of God, to show the World that it is possible to heal from hardships of the past. Below us lie the deserts of sin and the forest of evil; below us stretch the swamps of carnality and the plains of passion; below us rage the roaring rivers of war and hate and crime, through all of which we have struggled to reach this summit. The turbulent and awesome conditions of the last days of mortal existence, some of which we now observe, have been spoken of my many of the prophets. Hydrogen bomb tested in North Korea created an Earthquake a magnitude 6.3, it was so strong it shook buildings in China and Russia. However, we shall not fear, for the Lord said as long as we follow his divine law, we will have refuge from against the awesome conditions which we must face. The Lord has given us the pattern in all things, that we may not be deceived, for Satan is abroad in the land and he goes forth deceiving nations. However, we know that Jesus is the Christ, and the message of restoration is true. If we are faithful, we need not fear that which must come about. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
Christianity is an intellectual despair to find stability in an eternal and infinite God. Happiness, and the happiness of future generations depends upon living those standards established by the Savior and set forth in his scriptures. Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children. There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We are supposed to focus on the family in the Church, and to raise our families in righteousness. Evil people and seducers shall wax worse, deceiving, and being deceived. These verses serve as a warning, showing which patterns to avoid. We must be ever watchful and diligent. We pray that evil may be done away, and that the time may come the Satan may have no power upon the hearts of humans, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved. When we think of the future, we should be overwhelmed with feelings of optimism. The scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection. Soon the feeling of peace and inspiration will come, and a solution will present itself to any problems one may be suffering from. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Happiness is never in fruition, but always in prospect of pursuits. Make scripture reading a part of your regular routine, and the blessings will follow. There is in the scripture a voice of warning, but there is also great nourishment. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine. The cure for most mistakes can be found by seeking forgiveness through personal prayer. However, there are certain spiritual illnesses, particularly those dealing with violations of the moral law, which absolutely require the assistance and treatment of a qualified spiritual physician. Some people have made mistakes and in their antiquated ages, the memories come back to haunt them. They are sometime unable to shake the feelings of guilt. Often times, one cannot go back and undo the problems of their youth on their own. If you awake to a sense of your awful situation, repentance is individual, and so is forgiveness. The Lord requires only that one turn from their sin and God will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. With sincere repentance, the effects of our transgression can be erased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That promise applies in every case. #RandolphhHarris 4 of 8
God is looking for people who have faith that he can see, a faith that is demonstrated. The gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting gospel. Even in the trials of our time and the days yet to come, peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and inlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein. When God sees you doing what you can to get well that is when extraordinary things will happen. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. Virtuous traits form the foundation of a Christian life and are the outward manifestation of the inner being. Virtue includes integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, and fidelity. We need only to look around us to see what is taking place in our communities to realize that personal traits of virtue are in steep decline. Reflect on the behavior of drivers on crowded highways; road rage happens too often. Civility is all but absent in our political discourse. #RandolpHarris 5 of 8
As countries around the World face financial and economic challenges, fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and craft. A visit to a shopping mall will often subject you to crude language and immodest dress. Some athletes display poor sportsmanship and seldom show humility, even when exposed for legal or moral infidelities. A large segment of our population feels little personal responsibility for their own temporal well-belong. On occasion, our generosity in support of good causes wanes as our appetite to acquire more than we need prevails. We need not be a part of the malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. If we follow the World in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be disastrous. Individual faith and fidelity, which have eternal consequences, will diminish. Family solidarity and spirituality will be adversely impacted. Religious influence in society will be lessened, and the rule of law will be challenged and perhaps even set aside. The seedbed for all that plagues the natural human being will have been planted, to the sheer delight of Satan. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
If you want your strength renewed, the right way to wait is to give God praise, to talk about his greatness; you will go through the day expecting him to turn it around. God promises he will renew your strength. God is breathing strength, energy, passion, vision, and vitality back into your spirit. You will come out of your hardship stronger, higher, better off than you were before. You could not kill my appetite for God with silver bullets and a wooden stake. Teaching virtuous traits begins in the home with parents who care and set the example. A good parental example encourages emulation; a poor example gives license to the children to disregard the parents’ teachings and even expand the poor example. A hypocritical example destroys credibility. It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if he or she lacks a firm adherence to a code of moral values. Without integrity, honesty is forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain. Most people will not commit desperate acts if they have been taught dignity, honesty, and integrity; honesty and integrity are more important than revenge or rage. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
If people understand that respect and kindness ultimately gives one a better chance at success, they will be blessed and go further in life. If virtues are lost, families will be measurably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and important eternal relationships may be jeopardized. Traits of virtue broadly practiced can loosen Satan’s firm grip on society and derail his insidious plan to capture the hearts, minds, and spirits of mortal human beings. Now is the time for us to join in rescuing and preserving that which is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy. As we allow virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly and we cultivate virtuous traits in our personal lives, our communities and institutions will be improved, our children and families will be strengthened, and faith and integrity will bless individual lives. The love of God binds to us, and we shall journey through life hand in hand. We shall sit in God’s presence and learn the wondrous things he will tell us for he is God. The heart of God, the Most High, is within. Our Heavenly Father expects his children to exercise integrity, civility, fidelity, charity, generosity, morality, and all the virtues. May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to demonstrate our ability to do so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
The Importance of a Good Reputation
We should do all we can to establish for ourselves a worthy reputation, for such is of priceless worth. It is often the key to influencing others for good, and can be the means of bring the gospel into their lives. It can take years to build a good professional reputation, but it can also be destroyed in an instant. Regardless of one’s background or which career one chooses to have, what people think and hear about you, even before they meet you, is extremely important. A good reputation is not a superficial façade, attempting to indicate depth where there is only shallowness, honesty where there is deceit, or virtue where there is unrighteousness. An exemplarily reputation is earned and is a window, clearly exhibiting the integrity of one’s soul. It is through this integrity of thought and veracity of conduct that we become pure and holy before the Lord. It is in this state that we can be most effective in serving humanity. Having a good reputation brings many business opportunities. One is highly recommended for jobs, invited to participate on esteemed research. And when one is known as someone who is skillful and professional, one will be introduced to others who can help advance one’s career. People like good people and they will want to help and be associated with those who have good reputations. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
It is not enough for us to live the gospel inwardly; we need to be shining examples to all with whom we come in contact. One major mistake can significantly damage your reputation, lead to missed opportunities and make it difficult for others to have confidence in you. It is not only what we are that is important: what others think of us is also important. In order to be truly effective, we need to be known for our good qualities, to have an unspotted reputation in all things. Overpromising, overextending, overestimating and overdoing does not allow a person to be responsive to others, live a balanced life, take care of oneself, nor develop a healthy professional identity. It is important to be known for being dependable, being honest, and upright in all of our dealing. It is great to be known as an individual who can meet one’s financial obligations on due dates or prior thereto, a person whose work is as good as one’s bond. It is important to be known as trustworthy, and as one whose loyalty is unquestionable. And above and beyond all else, we must be known as people who keep the commandments and as people who are fully committed in helping build the kingdom of God. Also, selecting your activities and opportunities carefully is one of the most important skills. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
It may be true that we are the ones most affected by our own actions. However, every mortal’s life is intertwined with others’ lives. It is important to be professional because influential people could be forming impression about you as a result of your tone, language, assertions, or assaults. Also, every individual represents certain other people or groups of people as well. For instance, we are all representatives of our own families, and the reputation of a family is established through the actions of individual family people. Honor the names that you bear, because some day you will have the privilege and the obligation of reporting to them (and to your Father in Heave) what you have done with their name. Genuine people are credible. Credibility breeds trust. And trustworthy people are loyal. A credible people is an expert due to his or her experience, qualifications, intelligence, and skill set. Not only do we represent out families, but each of us belongs to a community, state, province, or nation whose collective reputation is based on the actions of individuals. Many of us represent the business or organization from which we earn our living. Students represent the schools which they attend. As members of the Church, we all represent the Church through or actions. What is our message? #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
We have a special sacred responsibility. Someone who is trustworthy is honest, fair, unselfish, and caring. Loyal people are valued because they are faithful to a cause, ideal custom, or institution. The possession of these characteristics will enhance your reputation, while omission of the same are noticed and detrimental. We represent our Heavenly Father on Earth, as members of his kingdom. We have the privilege to represent him to others, to bear his message to his children throughout the World. We have the responsibility to be worthy of his name, to represent him well in every way, to every person we meet—so we must live our lives are Christians. The reputation of an organization can enable them to become a preference. For example, research shows that due to an increased demand for healthier foods, organic products, and more environmentally friendly food, companies have begun to distinguish their products through food labeling, and are noticing that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for labels that are considered to have more of a prestigious reputation than others. Also, the organization that behaves ethically, is worthy of respect. You are the light of the World, and a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. As we build our character, our light will shine brighter, and our outward reputation will become but a reflection of our inward self; then our reputation be one, both before God and before humanity. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Someone with many years of experience in the Church and business affairs taught me that it is highly important to maintain a good and worthy reputation in all that we do. Keeping your word, no matter what in terms of providing services, paying vendors when they are due, and keeping promises to the people you service is a way to establish trust. This will help you solidify and build credibility with the community. It is very important to resolve errors and mistakes. Never make excuses or place the blame on someone else if it is an issue that is your fault or the fault of the organization you represent. An irate person can become your biggest ally if you make an effort to resolve errors or mistakes as quickly as possible. Furthermore, it is important to be sensitive to privacy. With rampant identity theft and hacking, being aware of the sensitive nature of financial information and other personal information is more important than ever. In order to obtain real joy and happiness in this life and be effective servants of the Lord in helping to build his kingdom, we must build and maintain a good reputation. This can only be accomplished by repenting of our sins and living the principles of the gospel, thereby keeping the commandments of God. May we all do this, I humbly pray, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
We Should Go Forward in a Spirit of Faith and Not Be Fearful
Heavenly forces rising and descending, their golden urns reciprocally lending. Not until I rise above the Earthly to the Heavenly, not until I cease to cleave to the Spirit of the Earth can I understand humans. The soul of humans lived in an element by which the sounds of speech themselves were formed and moulded. However, a blitz of sin comes when communication lines are down—it always does, sooner or later. Deeply disturbing are the numerous signs of dwindling faith are in our World. The whip leg in spiritual conviction is frightening. Morale is often low even among employees in their jobs—Selfish “gimme” tactics. “How much can I get?” “How about a raise?” More holidays. Fewer hours. Poor morale among the employers. We are too affluent. We have too much money and other things. We have so many things. Even many poorer people have things, and “things” become our life, and our vocabulary has been invaded with, “Let me do my thing.” Yet the Lord has said, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Too often, though, we want the “things” first. We have a great generation of youth, but many of them are experiencing a blind side of prayers, especially those who are in sin. Many have nearly ceased to pray. Their communication wires are bootleg. Also, the numerous young people in their early married days cease to pray with regularity; their lines of communication are on the chop block. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
We have intellectualism—which is also a factor in the education of the human race—but out of our way of viewing the World, based as it is on the principles of measure, number and weight, another must unfold. Two young couples from the Northwest came, bowed in sorrow. The husband of one and the wife of the other had lost themselves in frustration arising out of disloyally finding comfort where no association should have been tolerated. Their problems reached the maximum, and sorrow resulted. It is generally the same. The two young people, unfaithful to their spouses, has conversed and confided too much; then secret meetings followed, then disloyal disclosures concerning the spouse of each. And finally, that which surely could not have been dreamed of—the transgression. Both couples had reduced their activity, become casual in their church-going. They had joined a social group who were also turning to spiritual casualness like themselves. Their new ways of living was beyond their means, and debts crowded out tithing. Too busy they were for homes in the evenings and too rushed for family prayer, and when it came to temptation, they were not prepared. They experienced a real slobber knocker for coveting someone else’s spouse. Recognize that some of you think of yourselves as daredevils, ready to take on almost any challenge. However, some of these excursions for excitement will inevitably take you down into the Devil’s Throat. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
Spiritual Science must come to our assistance here, for ordinary history can tell us nothing. Our emotions are compacted. Sometimes we do not even have the words to express accurately the way we are feeling. This lack of emotional language can be very difficult. The only safe course is to stay well away from the dangers of the Devil’s Throat. If you cross to the Devil’s side of the line of scrimmage once inch, you are in the tempter’s power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord. Some people are letting others set standards for them. You have a nickel defense for yourselves by saying, “Who said we should not do this or we should not do that?” There are many shades of right and wrong that each of you have to decide where the line of scrimmage will be. If there is any question in your minds or hearts about whether your personal conduct is right or wrong, do not do it. Each of us has a moral agency of pass protection, and the gift of the Holy Ghost will sharpen our impressions of what is right and wrong, true and false. It is the responsibility of the prophets of God to teach the word of God, not spell out every joy and tittle of human conduct. Naturally, within the relationships into which they are brought by the intellect, the things will behave in accordance with their nature. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Pure experience is the reality in which reality appears to us when we confront it to the complete exclusion of what we ourselves bring to it. What is happening at the time you come of age becomes a stamp of who you are, and you carry it forward. If we are conscientiously trying to avoid not only evil, but the very appearance of evil, we will act for ourselves and not be acted upon. Much of what comes from the Devil is alluring and enticing. It glitters and is appealing to the sensual parts of our nature. You will lose half a pound just dreaming about it. Satan’s message sounds so reasonable and easy to justify. His voice is usually smooth and intriguing. If it were harsh or discordant, nobody would listen, nobody would be enticed. Some of Satan’s most appealing messages are: Everyone does it; if it does not hurt anyone else, it is all right; if you feel there is no harm in it, it is okay; it is the “cool” thing to do. Satan is the greatest imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the greatest forger ever in the history of the World. He comes into our lives as a thief in the night and crackback blocks our blessings. His disguise is so perfect that it is hard to recognize him or his methods. He seems to be a good person, but is really bad. Such a phenomenon, now, in which the character of the process follows directly and in a transparently clear way out of the nature of the pertinent factors, called an archetypal phenomenon. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
When we trace any one of the major streams of present-day spiritual life back to its sources, we always encounter one of the spirits of our classical spirit. There have always been two great competing forces in the World. These began before the World was created. These opposing forces are the forces between good and evil. Between these two powerful forces each of us is caught in a scrimmage. In simple terms, that which is good comes from God, and that which is evil comes from the Devil. You cannot coffin corner or have it both ways and find true happiness; some have tried, but in the long run all have failed. If any of you people think you can have it both ways, you are only deceiving yourselves. It does not work that way. It never has. There is another great truth that you must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. Opportunity costs, nothing is free. There is loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. If you so not pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price for failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag. Everyone is conscious of the fact that our thinking is kindled in conflict with reality. The objects in space and in time approach us; we perceive a highly diversified outer World of manifold parts, and we experience a more or less richly developed inner World. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
As believers in God, part of the price we need to pay is by living differently from the World. God is pure reason. Jesus Christ himself brought elements of optimism into the rational morality that it was his prime aim to teach. Jesus demands attention for his teachings, not because they are adapted to the moral needs of our spirit, but because they are God’s will. The followers of Jesus Christ, from a natural interest in the details of his life, developed these beneficial elements into Christianity. They appealed to miracles as proofs of Jesus’s divinity and virtue, and instead of revering him for his teaching about virtue, they revered his teaching about virtue because of the miracles he was supposed to have performed. However, wicked emperors chased the human spirit from the Earth and spread a misery, which compelled people to see and expect happiness in Heaven; robbed of freedom, their spirit, their eternal and absolute element, was force to take flight to the deity. The doctrine of God’s objectivity is a counterpart to the corruption and slavery of human beings. No thing or event can claim to play a greater role in the functioning of the World than experience of God. If it is to become clear to us that this or that fact has greater significance than others, we must then not merely observe God, but we must already bring God into our thought-relationship. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
Jesus makes a general demand on his hearers to surrender their rights, to lift themselves above the whole sphere of justice or injustice by love, for in love there vanish not only rights, but also the feeling of inequality and the hatred of enemies which this feeling’s imperative demand for equality implies. Matthew 5.44 tells us to, “Love our enemies, and pray fr those who persecute us.” Jesus is a beautiful soul. Jesus retained his dignity by refusing to defend himself or to uphold his rights. The possible consequences for the individual and for other people of resistance to evil, on the one hand, and of withdrawal from conflict, on the other. If one were obliged to look back to an age when human beings were quite differently constituted in their life of soul, it would be impossible to understand them. Humans can have a living experience of the plant World around them when the word is as full of life as it was among the ancient Greeks. We are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back the power of Satan on the Earth. With all my heart, I urge you to please help us push back the World. We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular, and simply say, “This is not right.” All of us want to find out who we really are and what our place is in the World. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
Easily influenced individuals are trying to find their identity by being different from their parents and families in what they stand for. God made each of us to be different from anyone else in the World, as our DNA and fingerprints prove. You do not have to work at having a separate identity; you already have one. Some people want to rebel against restraints. Several even think it is not cool to obedient to their parents, the law, or follow the counsel of your bishop or quorum president. Many may have been deceived by thinking that they can find excitement by dabbling in drugs, alcohol, pornography, and the illicit sex. Be warned that such enticements as these are slippery and dangerous like the rocks by the Devil’s Throat, and they will only lead you into a tackle box of Satan’s territory. The way out of that kind of danger is difficult and will leave you with far more than a slobber knocker, scrapes and scratches. We are working out our eternal destiny at an interesting time. In the future, there will continue to be an increase in scientific discoveries and inventions which will make life more comfortable and easier for many. No doubt medical science will continue to find new treatments and cures not available now. In contrast, the Worldly influences of evil will likely increase, and more people will become vulnerable to the deceit and enticement of Satan’s trap play. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
We need to become stronger spiritually and morally in order to withstand the temptations and snares of the World. Perhaps this is why such special spirits have been reserved for this time with the Statue of Liberty Play. In the future, the opposition from Satan will be both more subtle and more open. While in some ways it may be more blatant, it will be masked with greater sophistication and cunning. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it. Many countries now face the dangerous of attacks from foreign enemies. War exposes people to bodily harm, but there is also exposure to moral harm. Those of us who have served in the military in the wartime have experienced the disruption in life that comes from being uprooted from the home and family, wholesome associations, and the influence of the organized Church. Disruptions can take us into a dive play for the vary jaws of the Devil’s Throat. Many of the activities we will be engaged in are group situations where we cannot always choose our own company. However, we can always choose our standards. In any association, there needs to be one or more who stand up and say, “What we are doing is not right.” It takes moral courage to do this. We all know it takes courage to face fears. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
Whatsoever is good comes from God, and whatsoever is evil comes from the Devil. We are living in a challenging time, and it is a time for us to stand firm and steady in meeting our family and Church responsibilities so we do not experience offsetting penalties. We should not be blown like a wave in a White Squall. Children of God should go forward in a spirit of faith and not be fearful of anything expect being too close to the Devil’s throat. We will be strengthened and preserved if we follow God. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. So, do fear, for God is with us. Do not be dismayed, for God is our God. God will strengthen us and help us, he will uphold us with his righteous right hand. Recognize that God’s ways our better than our ways. Resist the desire to take matters into your own hands and instead trust God for questions or problems that we may face. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is clear that obedience to God’s Word is paramount to experiencing the Blessings. I pray the Lord’s blessing to be with us all, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
My Sunshine Darts but Through Drizzly Clouds
Happy are they who are blessed with the power of making happy. In recent months, peace has been a paramount thought in the minds of many people throughout the World. When World peace is threatened, many countries find themselves engaged in wars. The new media has shown vivid images of missile testing, ravages, suffering, floods, fires, and destruction of wars and the turmoil it causes in individuals. Current theories attribute war to external factors such as overpopulation and scarcity, or, conversely, to something inside people—emotions, drives, sex hormones, or instincts. War is a dysfunction, or a temporary aberration in global political relations. War causes deep stress and disrupts families, employment, and schooling. It consumes resources that could be used to better advantage elsewhere. Is it the good, or the evil fortune of mortals that the comic side of life, and the serious side of life, are perpetually in collision with each other? When it comes to war, our hearts are filled with compassion for families on all sides who lose loved ones and for the innocent victims of war, especially the children. We pray now for a lasting peace when people shall learn war no more. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Peace is neither the absence of war nor something fixed and permanent. Rather, peace is a process by which politically organized groups develop and maintain positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationships that enable them to transcend collective violence. Peace involves nonviolent and constructive means of conflict management, as opposed to those methods at the opposite end of the continuum that rely on coercion and violence. Peace is sustained by numerous factors, including cultural compatibility, beliefs by each side that the relationship is fair and just, and structural mechanisms that promote cooperation, positive reform, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. In the scriptures, peace means either freedom from strife, contention, conflict, or war, or an inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that is a gift of God to all of his children, an assurance and serenity within a person’s heart. Peace is a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting thoughts or emotions, and harmony in personal relations. This is the ultimate state sought by all seekers, whether they are religious, humanist, or have no spiritual or philosophical identification at all. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
While we yearn for peace, we live in a World burdened with hunger, pain, anguish, loneliness, sickness, and sorrow. We see divorce with all of its attendant conflict and heartache, especially among the innocent children caught in the middle. Wayward, disobedient children cause their parents grief and anxiety. Financial problems cause distress and loss of self-respect. Some loved ones slip into a fortuitous fumble, deep into sin and wickedness, forsake their covenants, and walk in their own way, and after the image of their own god. In peace, there is no longer any conflict. There is a total absence of negativity and an all-encompassing lovingness that is experienced as serenity, tranquility, timelessness, completion, fulfillment, stillness, and contentment. There is inner quiet and light, a feeling of oneness, unity, and total freedom. The peace is imperturbable. The value of peace within our hearts cannot be measured. When we are at peace, we can be free of worry and fear, knowing that with the Lord’s help, we can do all that is expected or required of us. We can approach every day, every task, and every challenge with assurance and confidence in the outcome. We have freedom of thought and actions, freedom to be happy. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
There can be no real happiness without peace, yet honest men and women in all parts of the World are seeking personal peace and know not where to find it. Even those incarcerated for lengthy periods of time as war prisoners can be at peace in their own minds. Many of them have learned from their captors that they cannot deprive them of freedom to think, even when the most harsh limitations are imposed. Few, if any, blessings from God are more valuable to our spiritual health than the reward of peace within. Once the experience of peace has occurred, we are no longer a victim of the World. We are no longer at its effect as we once were, for we have had a glimpse of the truth about it and of what we really are. Peace is an ever-increasing frequency. At times, they may become quite profound and of greater and greater duration. When a person is in the state of peace, they test strong with kinesiology, and nothing makes them weak, whether it is mental, emotional, or physical. There is no longer identification with the body as our self, and physical disorders may or may not be healed, but we are indifferent to them; physical concerns have lost any significant meanings. With the experience of inner peace comes great strength. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace, and his message is a message of peace to the individual and to the World. It is the peace that makes us really appreciate mortal life and enables us to bear heartbreaking tribulation. The mission of the church of Jesus Christ is to establish this peace in the hearts and homes of the people. Many people have related how the gospel has brought peace, joy, growth, and development into their lives. The most beneficial thing is we pick up the vibration by being in the physical presence of that state of peace and complete surrender. This energy of peace is transmitted outward into the World that it keeps humankind alive. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Have you ever wondered how you can be a peacemaker? Really, our opportunities are unlimited. Certainly, in our homes we can all be peacemakers by exhibiting love and goodwill, thus offsetting the evil of contention, envy, and jealousy. Where misunderstandings exist between children and parents, we can encourage adjustments on the part of both. We can pray together for the spirit of peace. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
We can be a peacemaker by avoiding criticism. We can be a peacemaker by practicing and teaching forgiveness. If you want peace, yours is the responsibility to obtain it. Our homes should become warm sanctuaries where children may be protected and grow into noble men and women; where people of antiquated age may find repose where prayer will find an altar, where they can be safe, comfortable, and enjoy peace and quiet. For one month, be a peacemaker in your home. Do not say anything about this to your family, but be thoughtful, kind, and considerate. Be an example. Where there is quarreling, or bickering among members of your family, do whatever you can to overcome these faults by creating an atmosphere of love, harmony, and happiness. When you are irritated, and irritations arise in most every family, control yourself and help the others to control themselves. You really have to work at it to have the spirit of peace in your home, but it is possible. People feel better when they are being peacemakers, and a wonderful feelings of harmony comes over them. Those who do works of the righteousness shall receive one’s own reward, even peace in this World, and eternal life in the World to come. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Happiness must be something solid and permanent, without fear and without certainty. The Lord will take care of our needs and help us overcome those things that worry us when we do our part, put our faith and trust in him, and concern ourselves with serving him by serving humanity. I have seen this in my own life, and in the lives of those close to me, and in the lives of hundreds of others all over the World. It is the only way to personal peace, that peace that is not of this World and is beyond our understanding and comprehension, but yet so sweet to us. We need more peacemakers in the World to prove to people that they are loved and their is hope for humanity. When one knows peace, they enjoy harmony that surpasses all understanding, relief from their inner tensions, bliss and happiness contentment, growth, and development. All emotions and events are interconnected, and there is a profound state of inner stillness beyond anything imaginable. Many know this to be personally true. May each of us in our daily lives assume the role of a peacemaker and enjoy the peace that surpasses understanding, I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
God Produced Intelligibility, a Lifting Mystery?
God is an obscure representation of the essence or essential presence of the divine being. The idea of the highest good cannot be realized by human beings themselves; yet they cover within themselves the duty to work for this end. Hence, humans find themselves impelled to believe in the cooperation or management of a moral Ruler of the World, by means of which alone this goal can be reached. We are under obligation to attain the highest good and our individual moral perfection. The theory of time forms a sensibility that makes continuing moral development and the attainment of the highest good in hereafter a reality, as the moral order is an objectively valid order, and moral values belong to the nature of reality. Through the history of the World, the human condition, both mentally and physically, is supposed to improve as it is moral law that we are supposed to become good beings. In fact, this is morally binding, as it is the process we must follow to realize the natural order. If we were to assume that the goal of the World-process is the realizing of happiness, there would be the weightiest empirical evidence against us. With moral worth and goodness, it is different. Conditions that work against happiness may work for, not against, the developing, trying, and testing of moral fiber. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
There are two properties of being extended and being spiritual. If the moral law is eternally valid, and valid whether we recognize it or not, how could this eternal validity stand alone, not embodied in matter and neither seen nor realized by finite minds, unless there were an eternal mind whose thought and will were therein expressed? One can readily agree that the World as we experience it is better adapted to be a vale of soul-making than a hedonistic holiday camp. I want to tell you of an incident that happened many years ago. Two of our sons, then little boys, were wrestling on the genuine mahogany hardwood floors. Mahogany’s beauty—such as that found in red mahogany—improves as it ages, which is just one of the reasons why it is so sought after. As the wood ages, its reddish-brown color continues to deepend. This hardwood is naturally resistant to decay caused by both insects and water. It is tightly grained and usually naturally free of imperfections such as air pockets. With these traits, it is less likely to crack or check in the future. So anyway, they had reached that line which separates laughter from tears. I quickly got up and worked my foot carefully between them and lifted the older one back to a sitting position on the mahogany. As I did so, I said, “Hey there, you little monkeys. You had better simmer down.” #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
To my surprise, he folded his little arms, his dreamy eyes swimming with deep hurt, and protested, “I not a monkey, Daddy, I a person!” Some human suffering (the unmerited suffering of young children, for instance) cannot always be treated plausibly as developing moral fiber, or as realizing any other moral value. The natural environment can figure as the destroyer of moral personality as well as its preserver and nourisher. The years have not erased the overwhelming feeling of love I have for my little sons. Many times over the years, his words have slipped back into my mind, “I not a monkey, Daddy, I a person!” I was taught a profound lesson by my little boy. Perhaps now they know how much their father loves them. Hopefully, they know as well why prayers begin, “Our Father who art in Heaven.” Persons enter life through mortal birth and, in due time, disappear through the evil of death. Most of them never sense why we are here. The moral life is not as a mere conforming to given static principles and rules, but as directing the moral agent along certain paths of self-development. There is development within the moral ideal: We discover tomorrow that today’s ideal had more in it than we had supposed. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
The goal of life transforms itself as we approach it. The further we pursue it, the less able we become to conceive the human good is purely this-World, secular terms. There is development also within our awareness of time. Purposeful, valuable activity produces an extension of our conscious present; it delivers us from the dullness of one thing after another. Eternity is the complete and simultaneous fruition of a life without bounds. Occasionally, as at the time of birth, we pause in awe of what nature has to say. We see patterns of creation, so ordered and so beautiful as to sponsor deep feelings of reverence and humility. Then, just when we might discover the meaning of life, we are jerked back by the wild, uncontrolled things that humanity is doing to itself. There are so many unanswered questions. Why the inequalities in life? Some are so rich. Some so wretchedly poor. Some so beautifully formed, and other with painful disabilities. Some are gifted and others have intellectual deficiencies. Why the injustice, the untimely death? Why the neglect, the sorrow, the pain? Why divorce, incest, perversion, abuse, and cruelty? As for our motives for pursing good and avoiding evil, they may be summed by as self-interest. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
If there be order and meaning to life, they are hardly visible in what mortals do to one another and to themselves. The true peace of God begins at any spot a thousand miles from the nearest land. Among these plain and precious truths is the doctrine of humankind. As the truth concerning these revelations comes incrementally, so does our understanding. There can be no religion without some previous knowledge of God. God sees at one view the whole thread of our existence, not only that part which we have already passed through, but that which runs forward into all the depths of eternity. The reality of premortality responds to puzzlings which suggests we are strangers here. It is a curative for the yearnings expressed in music and poetry and literature. Humans are still hunters, through this quarry be a hope, a mystery, a dream. Everything in our life happens as though we entered upon it with a load of obligations contracted in a previous existence. Obligations whose sanctions is not the present life, which seems to belong to a different World, founded on kindness, scruples, sacrifice, a World entirely different from this one, a World whence we emerge to be born on this Earth, before returning thither. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
Christ is presented as a living demonstration that a human being can be wholly possessed by God. Our birth is but a sleep and forgetting, but the trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home. Amid all the trials and tribulations we have to wade through, the Lord, who well knew our infantile and delicate situation, vouchsafed for us a supply of strength, and granted us a line upon line of knowledge—here a little, and there a little, of which the following was a precious morsel. God’s work involves other planets, but only an account of this Earth, and the inhabitants thereof. There are many Worlds that have passed away by the word of God’s power. The plan and purposes of God were to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life human beings. Thus, the vastness of space reflects the vastness of God’s love for all of his children. Humans were also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or light of truth, was not created nor made, neither indeed can be. For the human is spirit. The element, inseparably connected, received a fulness of joy. People are called by the Church to better behavior, behavior befitting Church member who have been called from before the foundation of the World. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
Earth is a soul searching bondage. The life we live, not the creed we preach, is our path to salvation. The intelligences that were organized before the World were many and noble and great. If there be two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, they have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end for they are eternal. There was a pouring down of knowledge from Heaven, a cascade of plain and precious truths including the pivotal doctrine of the premortal existence of human beings. Our adversity and time afflictions are but a small moment. One’s life, therefore, is brevity compared to eternity-like being dropped off by a parent for a day at school. But what a day! Babies have no concept of time and never know when their parents are coming back and cannot pick up a phone and call when they are scared or worried. Much like adults waiting on God. We ask only for tolerance, freedom, and a mutual good will. Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine. We must know that we have these duties and aspirations without already presupposing God and immortality. Only in this way could the existence of God and immortality be the conclusion in our argument. For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and adversities to be experienced. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
Our observations of an instance of virtuous action sits the occasion for a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction, which enables us to distinguish that action as virtuous. We have time to be well spent, talents, and gifts to be well employed. Similarly, our observation of an instance of vicious action is the occasion for a feeling of pain or uneasiness, which enables us to distinguish that action as vicious. The moral sense is also an influencing motive in our pursuit of virtue and our avoidance of vicious behavior, and it plays a part in our bestowal of praise and blame. Just because we were chosen there and then, surely does not mean we can be indifferent here and now. We must be prepared to prove we are chosen and faithful. In fact, adequacy in the first estate may merely have ensured a stern, second estate with more duties and no immunities! Additional tutoring and suffering appears to be the pattern for the Lord’s most apt pupils. Our existence, therefore, is a continuum matched by God’s stretching curriculum. This doctrine brings unarguable identity, but also serves accountability to our lives. It also reminds us that we do not have all of the data. Spirit exists at various levels. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
There are many times when we must withhold judgement and trust God, even in the midst of all these things. Only with the help of this doctrine can we begin to understand things as they really were, are, and will become. Agreeing to enter this second estate, therefore, was like agreeing in advance to anesthetic—the anesthetic of forgetfulness. Doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient, in the midst of what was previously authorized, to ask him or her again, if it should be continued. We agree to come here and to undergo certain experiences under certain conditions. We have forgotten! However, our forgetfulness cannot alter the facts. We have an inward sense of the divine presence. We often catch a sparkle from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which illuminates our whole being as with the glory, grace, love, and protection of our former home. There can be sudden premonitions and déjà vu. A vision from the database of memory can beckon us forward to that far pavilion, filled with everlasting splendors and resurrected beings. God determined us to be pleased by benevolent actions. Society exists because the far greater number of people want peace. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
Prayers for the people in Canada, as their pristine cobalt blue skies are being inundated by ominous bulges and blankets of smoke, as more than 20 wildfires are, making it look like they are living on the planet Mars. Thick blankets of red smoke are blacking out the Sun and engulfing the Sky. Canada has also been dealing with record-breaking temperatures. We have seen violent weather hurl houses and vehicles through the air, cause inland floods, and storm surges along coastal areas. A heatwave, by contrast, can appear benign and is often marked by high pressure and long, hot, sunny days. As the thermometer climbs into the danger zone, and stays there for days—even weeks on end, a heatwave become malevolent. People are complaining of burning eyes, trouble breathing, water tasting like burnt plastic, ashes on their cars, and smoke has forced them to seek treatment for breathing conditions and heat exhaustion, as temperatures soar to over 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The smoke is so thick that fighter jets cannot be seen nor heard. More than 7,000 people are living under evacuation orders. These are some of the worst fires in decades. With the Korean missile crisis, Hurricane Harvey, and the fires in Canada all starting after the eclipse, maybe it is a sign of angry or quarreling gods. Korean folklore says solar eclipses happen because mythical dogs are trying to steal the Sun. The eclipse has been said to be a bad omen for centuries. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
God Turned Out Liberty Jail and Made it a Temple!
Although it is not customary for one to seek out the difficult or unpleasant experiences, it is true that the trials and tribulations of life that stand in the way of a person’s growth and development become circumstances, or experiences that serve to assist one in reaching or progressing toward a goal or desired outcome. These tumultuous situations help us to reach greater heights, providing, of course, that we do not allow adversity to discourage us. The story of most men and women who attain a degree of greatness and achievement is generally the story of a person overcoming hardships. It appears that there are lessons that can only be learned through overcoming of obstacles. Eduard von Hartmann believed that the Earth is not the worst of all possible Worlds; indeed, the infinite purposiveness of the particulars in it makes it the best of all possible Worlds. Nevertheless, he believed that it can be shown that the Universe would be better if Earth had never been created and, paradoxically, the purposiveness of this World is moving to that end. North Korea is launching missiles just about every few weeks that have nuclear capabilities, and they even have submarine weapons. The Media spends its time attacking the president and encouraging disharmony, while there are serious issues that need attention. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
We all must battle with some fierce despair. Artem Kolesov just turned 23 years old. He is the fourth of six brothers, and grew up in a small town near Moscow, where his father was a deacon and his mother was a church youth pastor at the Pentecostal church. He allegedly grew up hearing that all he should be killed. This made young Artem fear for his life and have suicidal thoughts, as he prayed to God for the courage to live. Artem thought life in Russia was dangerous and could be a death sentence. Artem is a thin young man, with bright eyes, a head full of silky brown hair, and a perfectly symmetrical face. However, he was lucky enough to make it to Chicago, and was taken in by a nice couple. But anyway, it is amazing that Artem is a violinist and is using his talents to raise money to help pay for his legal expenses as he goes through the process of becoming as citizen of the United States of America. I love story of people who, instead of just creating a donation page online and begging for money, actually use their God given talents to work for money. Best wishes to Artem Kolesov. Nothing worthwhile ever comes to a person except by the anguish of his soul and the sweat of his brow. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
Another journey that is amazing is the life and career of Aaliyah Haughton. Although she went on Starsearch, a show which showcases talent in hopes of awarding someone with a prize, which will launch their career as a celebrity, and did a great job performing, there were dissensions within and hostile demonstrations from without. Aaliyah ultimately did not win, although many thought she did a great job. The young girls gracefully accepted the lost and was very sweet and professional about, but when he got home she cried and cried and cried. However, Aaliyah was determined to become a star. There were hardships and disappointments, but she came out with her first record at the age of 15 and it was a success. From there she used her talent to build the careers of other stars and produced many great records, one of the most successful being the red album known as Aaliyah. Aaliyah went on to be a successful actress, and many were saying she was going to be a mega star. However, her career became inactive in 2001 because of some unforeseen circumstances. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
Although Aaliyah has been missing in action for 16 years, these experiences has some real value because she is still breaking news and making headlines. Recently, Aaliyah signed a deal with MAC cosmetics and her own makeup line is coming out. Fans fought hard to get this makeup line for Aaliyah. They petitioned, called radio stations, news outlets, and gathered thousands of signatures and MAC cosmetics finally agreed to the production. Therefore, the trials and tribulations endured by Aaliyah, her family, friends, and fans were not in vain, and it was the will of God that allowed this project to come to fruition. These experiences were of immense value to both the individuals involved and the Church. Because it that no matter what God is in control, and even in your absence, when God wants things will happen to extend your legacy. There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is simply to try to get rid of the trial, and be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had, and to hail it with delight as an opportunity of obtaining a larger measure of divine grace. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil. Every inch of the way must be disputed. The night is given us to take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. One of the darkest periods in the history of the Church was the Winter of 1838-1839. The Saints had been persecuted, robbed, and murdered. The Prophet and his associated had been betrayed and were imprisoned in Liberty jail. Dissension and apostasy were rampant, and the Church appeared to be faces with disintegration and ruin. However, emerging from this dark period were people who led the Church through trying experiences as well as amazing growth and development. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose, but only upon the Beloved God who will never pass away. It was during these dark days that the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith, while in Liberty jail, a great revelation. God armed him with the strength for this battler and told the Prophet that he could do all things through Christ who infused him with inner strength. The prophet was more than a conqueror, a victor, and not a victim, and Liberty jail for a time became a center of instruction. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives, but in understanding his character, in trusting in his promises, and in leaning on him and resting in him as Sovereign who know what he is doing and does all things well. The eyes of the saints turned Liberty Jail into a place where they could encourage people, counsel, and preach the word of the Lord. It was more of a temple than a prison, so long as the Prophet was there. Liberty Jail became the House of God, a place of prayer. God never said he would prevent life storms, but he did promise he would use every storm for his divine purpose. A temple, first of all, is a place of prayer; and prayer is communion with Go. It is the infinite in humans seeking the infinite in God. Where they find each other, there is holy sanctuary—a temple. Joseph Smith sound God in this rude prison, and found him. Having faith does not exempt us from difficult times. The storms of life come to every person. However, out of the midst of his tribulations, he called upon God in passionate earnestness. Here is the key: God will direct the winds of the storm to blow you where he wants you to go. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
We see storms as being negative, but God uses the storm to move you from point A to point B. The winds may be stronger than tropical storm Harvey, the planet may quake, mountains may explode into the sky, the circumstances may look catastrophic, but these same circumstances are also responsible for why we are here in the first place. We can call it nature’s fury, but it is really just nature’s way. If you will stay in faith, not get bitter, not start complaining, the violent nature that has raged all about this little sphere of ours for billions and billions of years, will blow you to a new level in your destiny. Earth has been buffeted and flooded, frozen and thawed, burned and blown up, and at the end of the long, long day, nature has delivered us these gifts: our precious planet and life itself. Even as we bewail tragedies that occasionally afflict us—the killer storms the fiery lava flows may have been meant for your harm, but God knows how to shift the winds. Instead of blowing you backward, he can use them to blow you forward where you will come out better, stronger—and that storm will also move you to a place of greater blessing and greater influence. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
Instead of using your faith to pray away difficulty, you should use your faith to believe that when the winds stop blowing and when Harvey and Sabrina get back together, you will be exactly where God wants you to be. May peace be unto your soul; your adversity and your afflictions shall be but a small moment. And then, if you endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high. The Prophet Joseph was told that if great tribulation should beset him and even if the very jaws of Hell shall gape open the mouth wide after him, know you are a child of God, and that all these things shall give you experience, and will be good for you. The Son of Man has descended below them all. Are you greater than he? One of the greatest truths that came from the so-called prison temple, Liberty Jail, has to do with priesthood and Church government. This is found in the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a part which reports: Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this World, and aspire to the honors of men and women, that they do not learn this lesson. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of Heaven, and that the powers of Heaven cannot be controlled nor handled, but only upon the principled of righteousness. On one occasion, the Prophet Joseph Smith was asked how he governed his people. His replay was, there is a delivering faith and a sustaining faith. God keeps you from the fire. God keeps you out of the adversity. However, most of the time we need sustaining faith. Sustaining faith is when God takes you through the storm, through the difficulty, and the wind is blowing. You are filled with stress, fear, and angry. You will be discouraged, but when you know that God is in control of the storm, you will not be worried. He will put you in the armor of God. God has put an orb of protection around you and you will come out stronger, increased, promoted, and without smelling like smoke, just like those teens. These are the correct principles and the children of God govern themselves. We believe that one of the important purposes of this life is to be proved, tried, and tested. Love comes again. Just when you break out of love, you have to believe that love can come again. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
The Liberty Jail experience truly constituted a refiner’s fire for those who participated in it and it truly empathizes the necessity of experiencing difficult and complex situations in life in order to properly develop and draw closer to our Heavenly Father. These experiences certainly give us a better understanding and appreciation of greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the early leaders of the Church. Liberty Jail teaches us that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and loyalty to our leaders and the Church is important, and we need to endure to the end regardless of how many difficulties we have to surmount. Why? Almighty God is in control of the furnace. He is in control of the winds. God is even in control of our enemies. Dinosaurs were the kings of the food chain until, for whatever reason, they were not. God told Noah that a food was coming and asked him to save the animals. The summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, which today stands more than a mile above sea level, was buried under ice 18,000 years ago, and Most of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois was blanketed by a large white sheet. The Earth is always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
We should be at peace today because God is in control of the winds and the storms of our lives. The writers of the Scripture knew what a torrential flood looked like and the power it possessed to destroy all in its path. We must believe that instead of defeating us, God will promote us. We have to commit ourselves to follow the counsel of our leaders, accept every opportunity to serve, and complete each assignment well—yes, endure to the end. Let us avoid setting our hearts upon the things of the World, and as we exercise our priesthood, let us incorporate the great principle of righteous dominion. By so doing and keeping the commandments of the Lord, we shall have joy, happiness, and development and eternal life, which is the greatest of all gifts of God. Like those who participated in Liberty Jail episodes, I can bear witnesses that God lives and the Jesus is the Christ—the Holy Ghost has borne this witness to me and that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, and that through him the power to act in the name of God and the gospel in it fullness has been restored on Earth. Let us never forget the Liberty Jail and remember that when trials and tribulations, and hardships come to us, as they will, these are the tests that we must meet in order to enjoy eternal life. May we meet them successfully, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
The Discovery of a Secret Implies No Obligation to Retain it
Grant me but health and give me but this fair goddess Liberty as my companion. Money is a thing which none of us can afford to hate, but it is neither God nor Devil; that should make one noble nor another vile. Money is the set of assets in the economy that people regularly use to buy goods and services. The cash in your wallet is money because you can use it to buy a meal at a restaurant or a house from a real estate agency. By contrast, if you happened to own most of Microsoft Corporation, as Bill Gates does, you would be wealthy, but this asset is not considered a form of money. You could not buy a meal or a house with this wealth without first obtaining some cash. Money includes only those few types of wealth that are regularly accepted by sellers in exchanges for good and services. Money is a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value. When it comes to overcoming being greedy, selfish, and overly indulgent, we all need a lot more help. The worst fear I have about the people is that they will get rich in this country and forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church. My great fear is that they cannot stand wealth. Many people believe in money, power, and respect. It is believed that first you get the money, then you get the power. And after you get the power, people will respect you. Several individuals believe that money, power, and respect are what you need in life, and that it will help you eat right, sleep at night, and that you will see the light. These types of people worship money as if it is a God, and they will take your money while you pout about it because the things they can buy with your money will attract people to them, and make them desirable. RandolphHarris 1 of 13
These vipers will take a life to get rich quick. They will set you up to get your money and get away with it. There are people who gain from their wealth only the fear of losing it. If all you get from your wealth is the wrong view of it, wealth will destroy your peace and you are no different than a debt-ridden consumer. Therefore, the answer to happiness is emotional well-being, and spiritual maturity. True wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you do not have, you will never, ever have enough. Money will bring about unlikely things. Try and keep clear of wanting small sums that you do not have. Our prosperity brings some real challenges because many are getting rich, more of us are waxing fat, and as a result of greed, selfishness, and overindulgence, we could lose the Spirit and literally kick ourselves out of the Church. Money and material things are on the mind of almost everyone. The great question many want to know is how they can acquire wealth? No question occupies a larger place in the minds and hearts of people today, and this is true of people in every occupation and in every walk of life. With the generality of humankind, money will purchase respect as well as everything else. Money in and of itself is not an evil, but it is the love of money that is the root of evil. Money, the common mistress of all cheats, makes them regard each other in the light of rivals. However, there are some of the wealthy who deal with their prosperity very well using their resources to bless others and build the kingdom. For man, however, wealth presents major difficulties. Loss of money is not the worst pain in itself, but loss of God is. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
As we deal with the materialism that threatens us, we should not confuse wants with needs. My mother taught me an important lesson along these lines. For many years my father had a practice of trading for a new car every year. Then, shortly before recession in 2001, when the grain prices increased, we were surprised one day when my Dad drove home in a more expensive car. One morning my mother asked, “How much did the new car cost than the other one?” When my Dad told her, my mother said, “Well, the other car has always been able to get me where I need to go. I think we ought to give the difference to someone who needs it more than we do.” And so it was. The next year Dad returned to the less-expensive cars, and they continued their generous ways. Little did I know, he has saved the car for me and when I needed it, I went to pick it up, paid the registration on it, and am still driving it today. If we are not careful, it is easy for our wants to become needs. Remember the line, “There, there, little luxury, do not cry. You will be a necessity by and by.” God will take the stars of your life and turn them into stars, and will pay you back double for anything you lost. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
We should avoid spoiling children by giving them too much. In our day, many children grow up with distorted values because parents overindulge them. Whether you are wealthy, or like most of us of more modest means, parents often attempt to provide children with almost everything they want thus taking away from them the blessing of anticipating, of longing for something they do not have. One of the most important things we can teach children is to deny themselves. Instant gratification generally makes for weak people. How many truly great individuals do you know who never had to struggle? A few of our wonderful youth and young adults in the Church are unstretched. They have almost a free pass. Perks are provided, including cars complete with fuel and insurance—all paid for by parents who sometimes listen in vain for a few courteous and appreciative words. What is thus taken for granted tends to underwrite selfishness and a sense of entitlement. When you become weary and feel like quitting, there is a way to have your strength renewed—wait on the Lord. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
We all grow tired sometimes, tired of trying to make a business grow, tired of dealing with an ailment, tired of raising a difficult child, tired of being lonely and waiting to meet the right person. We can even be doing what we love, but if we are not careful, we can lose our passion and allow weariness to set in. Children who always get what they want will want as long as they live. And somewhere along the line it is important for the character development of our children to learn that the Earth still revolves around the Sun, and not around them. Rather, we should train our children to ask themselves the question: How is the World a better place because they are in it? We live in a world of entertainment in full color with a lot of fast action, a World in which many children grow up thinking that if it is not fun, it is boring and not worthwhile. Even in family activities, we need to strike a balance between play and work. Some of our most memorable experiences while growing up centered around family activities: learning how to shingle a roof, build a fence, or working in the garden. Rather than being all work and no play, for many of our children it is almost all play and very little work. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
Frequently do we labor to secure the things that debase us into slaves, and overwhelm us with calamity. As a consequence of overindulgence, many children leave homes ill-prepared to meet the real World. Of course, we need to earn a living. The Lord told Adam that in the sweat of his face he should he eat bred all the days of his life, which means as long as you are doing something productive, you will be able to provide for yourself. It is important that we qualify ourselves to be self-reliant, particularly that every young person at the time of marriage be ready and able to assume the responsibilities of providing for one’s companion and for the children who may come to that home. All too many enter marriage who have never learned to cook, sew, or develop other important like skills. Ignorance of these skills, along with the lack of understanding of the management of money, sow the seeds for many failures in our marriages. Wisdom cannot be grafted on the stock of slavery: justice cannot be established without denunciation and disapproval of the wrong. I fear that in many cases we are rearing children who are slaves to expensive fads and fashions. For Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
People who have plots in their heads as seldom have good nights as deserve them. How do we determine where our treasure is? To do so, we need to evaluate the amount of time, money, and thought we devote to something. Might it not be well to evaluate how much focus we place on shopping and spending? This does not mean that our children should not dress in some of the appropriate clothing that is in fashion because that can be very important to them. As members of the Church, we have a responsibility to present ourselves in a well-groomed, attractive, and modest manner. With good planning, this can be done without being driven to spend extravagantly on our clothing. People of the church began to have egotistical pride and take advantage of others because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel. What sort of liberty is it whose chosen religion is its slave-market? #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Children today are often left with no role model in the home. Instead they turn to the television and video games. It seems that for many people in today’s society, money has become the thing they most cherish. It is apparent in the endless hours many people devote to their job. For some, their identity is wrapped into how much money they have. Money may be the only thing they even want to talk about, or the measure by which they judge themselves and others. With the constant talk of how to make money, or save money, it may lead you to wonder: Is money more important than family in today’s society? For millions of people, family still comes first. Without family, many people realize they would have very little in their lives, or that the things they had would no longer mean much. For people with real values, they realize that money is a means to support their families. However, as long as their basic needs are being met, they would rather be poor but surrounded by family than rich and alone. Such people recognize the value of love and of human connectedness. They realize that life about giving and being there for others. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
However, not all people feel this way, especially in today’s materialistic society. Many, in fact, value money far more than anything else. They dream of having money, and they will go to any end to acquire it. They will sacrifice having a family, in the name of attaining a certain career level. Some may have a family, but completely neglect it due to work and the priorities placed on work. These people may think they love their families, but their energies, time and devotion are all dedicated to their jobs. Remember, it is in our actions that we truly show where are priorities are. Even worse, countless people feel that as long as they make money and can buy their kids whatever gadgets or clothes they may desire, then they are being good to their family. People mistakenly believe that they can buy their children’s love, or substitute their lack of parenting with monetary things. The priority placed on money is evident everywhere you look. You can read the news on any given day and see tragic and horrific results of the breakdown of the family. Those who place money before the family are failing to teach their children proper values, and they are not properly guiding them through key stages of a child’s development. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
Clearly, they will not be taught values or compassion through such medium. Instead, they are more likely to be exposed to violent images or self-centered fictitious characters. And, there will late be consequences for these children’s lack of parenting. Many say that money is not more important than family, but live in ways that does not reflect this sentiment. In fact, these people instead worship money and do not prioritize being there for their family. They would even set a family member up to die, as long as they could profit for the death and demise. Let us hope that one day soon there will be a shift—one in which people start to realize that money will not buy them happiness, especially not if they have to result to criminal activity. A guilty conscious is a normal human response experienced by someone who is aware of having done something wrong. We should live modestly and avoid debt as if it were a plague. If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means, and if there is any one thing that is grinding, and discouraging and disheartening it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Do not accustom yourself to consider debt as an inconvenience, you will find it to be a calamity. How much house do we really need to accommodate our family comfortably? We should not endanger ourselves either spiritually or economically by acquiring homes which are ostentatious, feed our vanity, and go far beyond our needs. If we are to be self-reliant and in position to share, obviously we must acquire some resources. If we live within our means and avoid debt, resources can be accumulated. There are those with average incomes who, over a lifetime, do amass some means, and there are those who receive large salaries who do not. What is the difference? It is simply spending less than they receive, saving along the way, and taking advantage of the power of compound intertest. Most people have it all wrong about wealth. Wealth is not the same as income. If you make a good income each year, and spend it all, you are not getting wealthier. You are just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend. Be generous in giving and sharing with others. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
The more our hearts and minds are turned to assisting others less fortunate than we are, the more we will avoid the spiritually canker effects that results from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence. Our resources are a stewardship, not our possessions. I am confident that we will literally be called upon to make an accounting before God concerning how we have used them to bless lives and build the kingdom. However, before you seek for riches, seek the kingdom of God. And after you have obtained a hope in Christ you shall obtain riches, if you seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. We must have the courage to examine honestly where our treasures lie and avoid the pitfalls that result from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence. Remember, do not confuse wants with needs. Avoid spoiling our children. Live modestly, and avoid debt. Be generous in giving to others. Let me tell you a secret you should disclose, giving really is at the heart of our faith. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
God, our Heavenly Father, so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, who came to the Earth and could have possessed any material thing but rather chose to give to all us an example of a simple life free from any shade of greed, selfishness, or overindulgence. May we strive daily to love more like Christ lived, the ultimate example of a life of depth and meaning. I testify that Jesus is Christ, this is His Church led by living prophets, and His tomb was literally empty on that third day. Your challenge may be difficult, but you can handle it. God have given you the grace for this season. If we were not up to this, God would not have brought it across your path. In tough times, remind yourself there is always a reward for doing what is right. God never fails to compensate you. He pays very well. The season may be difficult because the reward is coming. Perhaps the battle you are facing has lasted long than you though it would. You have prayed. You have believed. You have done what you are supposed to, but there it is. How will you shake off the weariness and see God’s promises come to pass? A big part of faith is trusting God when you do not understand why things happen the way they do. Strength is coming into your body and mind. Just receive it by faith. In Jesus name, Amen. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
I Love Friendly Deeds Better than Fair Words
Friendship begins at home. Money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give. True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lite. It is enough that God has said it. We must rise above the plateaus we have been on. Understand that mortal life is purposefully designed to place us in circumstances where we can be individually tested and where, by the exercise of the agency God has given us, we can determine what our future possibilities will be. Humans have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon. On one occasion, the Lord explained that it was his desire that every person may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency given unto him or her, and that every person be made accountable. When we understand what is right and what is wrong, we are in a position to exercise our freedom in making choices. We must stand accountable for our decisions, and we cannot escape the inevitable consequences of these choices. Such freedom to exercise moral agency is essential in an environment where people have the highest prospects for progress and development. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
The darkest and most contemptible ignorance is that of not knowing oneself. Self-consciousness comes into being out of the unconscious. Ideas that define the “what” of the World; Will determines its “that.” The opposition of Will to the ordering of the Ideas brings about the emergence of consciousness and individuals. Individuation results from the conflict of purposes into which the universal Will is driven through its resistance to its logical counterpart, the Ideas. Consciousness is required to emancipate the Ideas from bondage of the Will and its torments. Since space and time are the sole principium individuationis known to us, the result is a phenomenal but real evolutionary process of nature involving the greatest possible emergence of purposes. Consciousness, when it attains its maturity, will suffice to hurl back the total actual volition into nothingness, by which the process and the World ceases without any residuum whatever. The undifferentiated, substantial Will might continue to proliferate other orders of consciousness after this destruction. By our very endowment as children of an Eternal Father, we have had implanted within our souls the urgency to be free. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
Instincts are unconsciously purposive, for example, and unconscious ideation in the nerve endings must be assumed to explain the slightest voluntary bodily movements. It is natural for us to want to be accountable for our own fates, because there is a whispering within us confirming that this accountability is absolutely essential to the attainment of our eternal destiny. The infinite purposiveness of the particulars in it makes it the best of possible Worlds. There is a remarkable combination of neurological and psychological considerations with commonsense considerations about the misery in the World. The existence of laws, regulations, and procedures has never been sufficient to compel people to obedience. Productive obedience comes through the exercise of free will. The first stage of happiness has already actually been attained in the present state of the World; the second is that happiness can be attained in transcendent life after death; and the third is that happiness will be attained in a future state of this World. The goal of the absolute religion of the future must be to save God, as Will, from the agony involved in his own inevitable creativity. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
The essence of vital Christianity lies in its pessimism about the present World, and liberal Protestantism is the last dying phase of Christian ethics because, by adhering to faith in social progress, it has lapsed into the first stage of optimism. Because supernatural beliefs are at odds with a scientific understanding of the World, tension may arise between religious individual who believe that a belief in God, which is a supernatural force, serves psychological functions. Many people who enslaved the Africans were surprised to find that they were not suicidal nor depressed because they had faith in God. In fact, in ancient text it was recorded that the only time the enslaved people were depressed is when they were first kidnapped from their homes and subjected to relentless physical and mental abuse, but then their faith in God increases and they matured and developed a sense of security and stability. Many people who do not believe in God would like you to think that they own you and that their money is your master, they do not want you to have faith in God because it shakes their foundations to realize that there is someone more powerful than they are and they are not in control. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
Also, people who view themselves as highly desirable and celebrated individuals do not often cope will with the fact that people move on. Some parents raise their children to understand that celebrities and politicians are just people. In fact, some may argue that a religious belief in a supernatural force is antiquated and inferior to a more scientific, technological Worldview. They may even consider our devotion to that ancient religion sad because it has not helped us conjure up stolen data tapes or given us the clairvoyance enough to physically escape. They even brag that the computer skills, money and technology make their superior to God. However, the testimony in the scriptures conveys that prior to the creation of this Earth, fully thirty three percent of all the hosts who contemplated the challenges of mortal life allowed themselves to be deluded into thinking that there were acceptable alternatives to the essential risks that accompany the exercise of agency and free will. The price they paid is beyond comprehension. Today, we are being encouraged to accept greater responsibility for the allocation of our times, for our spiritual development through personal and family study of the gospel, and for giving loving Christian service. Chemistry is an explanation of the supernatural. For instance, why do balloons float. Well, gaseous hydrogen and helium are lighter than air, and when contained in a small space, like a latex balloon, it makes it float. To many that seems like magic. Also, because helium is much less dense than regular is, it can affect the sound quality of your voice (its tone or timbre) by allowing sound to travel faster and thus change the resonances of your vocal tract by making it more responsive to high-frequency sounds. So, as you see technology and science are finding ways to explain things that at one time seemed supernatural. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
We must be willing to respond to this new challenge, our willingness to accept this add accountability will exert an influence that will reach far beyond our worship service, strict moral code, and religious life rooted in God. It is amazing that people who force the public to loan them $300 million dollars to build a gentrification center do not see the fact that they are the biggest welfare recipients in the community. Unless we retain a vibrant desire to be free, and unless we understand and practice the principles that give life to essential freedoms, we have little reason to hope they will endure. If we allow ourselves to accept dependency and regulation and to cease valuing independence and self-accountability, then we are vulnerable to the forces that destroy freedom. If righteousness is judged primarily by the degree to which one responds to programmed activity, then a condition develops within which opportunities for progress decline. The resulting tragedy affects the mortal potential of human beings and has a profound effect on our eternal possibilities as well. When people are exposed to religious themes or call to mind their religious beliefs, they are better able to endure discomfort, delay gratification, and follow through on challenging tasks. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
God loves with a great love the people whose heart is bursting with a passion for the impossible. All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of God’s grace, power, and love. Self-control is at the core of Christian lifestyle. Psychologist have proposed that religious-inspired practices can benefit mental and physical health by helping people exercise willpower. Studies have revealed that self-control promotes adaptive psychological functioning because it helps people regulate their emotions and behavior. Religious doctrines include prescriptions for taking care of one’s own body (your body is the temple of God), and support psychological traits that are associated with self-control, such as humility, patience, mindfulness, and compassion. In addition, religious doctrines offer behavioral techniques, including prayer, which helps people regulate their emotions and actions. Programed behavior cannot produce the level of spiritual development required to qualify one for eternal life. A necessary range of freedom and self-determination is essential to one’s spiritual development. While we rely on technological advancements and medical interventions, we believe that there are metaphysical forces beyond science at work in the World. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
If you are to become all God created you to be, you cannot let a hurt, a loss, a bad break, or disappointment cause you to sit inactively and not be involved in something advantageous. With an understanding of correct principles and an intrinsic desire to apply them, one must be motivated within oneself to do many good things of his or her own free will. The revelation says, the power is in the person who is an agent unto oneself. In preserving our freedom for self-determination, we cannot ignore the need for carefully ordered structure and procedure within government or any other organization. A careful balance must be maintained between that which is ordered for the well-being of the group and that which is reserved for the conscience and the incentive of the individual. This necessary balance of freedom and restraint is essential to right relationships within families and communities, and it cannot be ignored in our assignments within the Church. Our individual spiritual growth is the key to major numerical growth in the Kingdom of God. We must also exercise the necessary degree of freedom and self-accountability. Anything less will guarantee stunted spiritual growth. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
Our friendships and intimacies are only calculated for strong life and health. To scrutinize and ascertain our own principles is abundantly difficult. To exhibit those principles to the World with absolute sincerity can scarcely be expected. However, our obedience to God preserves for us the elements of individual life which makes individual progress possible. What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them. We must pray for grace to endure will without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly. Faith in God makes life purposeful and full of promise and will lead us to eternal progress. Humanity cannot fulfill its destiny when these truths are disregarded and abused. I cherish them with all my soul and am unreservedly committed to their promulgation among all the peoples of the Earth. There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and that feeling your presence is an addition to their comfort. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
God Wants You to Fulfill Your Destiny!
In the consciousness of God’s indwelling in life, inspires character to the highest achievements. Do we never perceive our own foibles? It is happy we can find consolation in the follies of our neighbor. The other day, as I overheard one neighbor criticizing another, I was reminded, perhaps we need to investigate why it is so important to consciously choose where we put our attention and how we spend our time. Are we finding fault and tearing down or uplifting and helping to heal? When you are being negative towards another people you are hurting that individual, and the negative energy you put their way changes who they are and how they perceive the World around them. At the same time, that negative energy you are putting out there will come back to you. What you put out is what you get in return. Every action creates a separate, but equal reaction. When you make a derogatory comment about others, you are really talking about yourself. It is a form of projection, it is a defense mechanism, and when you speak badly about others know you are off kilter, and that there is an imbalance in your life which requires you to place the blame somewhere else. That is your ego at work. All emotions toward others involve the basic belief that we are incomplete within ourselves, and therefore, others are viewed and utilized as a means to an end. #RandolphHarris 1 of 14
Sin never fails to find an echo in the souls of some people. The inner-actions between create vibrational energies that their emotions are radiating into space. Once the mind is supplied with simple ideas, the association of sensations and ideas may come into play. Nations as well as individuals commit sin, and sin is more than a simple injustice. The first requirement is that we must have a given set of sensations a sufficient number of times. These sensations then acquire such a power over their corresponding ideas that when any member of the set is impressed on the senses, it is able to excite in the mind the rest of the corresponding ideas that belong to the set. In this way, simple ideas collect and become a complex idea. There is a kind of association that depends on the sensory vibration. Regularly occurring sensory vibrations leave behind in the nerves miniatures of themselves which are called vibratiuncles; and even as a general sensation is able to call up a corresponding set of ideas in the mind, so a sensory vibration is able to call up a corresponding set of vibratiuncles in the nerves. Similarly, a complex idea may call into being the set of vibratiuncles attending upon complex ideas may be as vivid as any of the sensory vibration excited by the direct action of objects. The energy of the vibration, and thought form with which it is associated, creates a readable record. #RandolphHarris 2 of 14
It seems common practice for people to talk about their friends and neighbors and to criticize their seeming peculiarities and weaknesses. In fact, it is so general that one would think that gossiping about and judging others was the thing to do. How often have we heard of young people who were criticized, judged, and ridiculed because of their peculiarities and yet who eventually become leaders in their different fields. One of our most respected community-minded citizens began to act as though his feelings had been hurt and would stay away from socials where, in the past, he had gone and taken a most active part. People started accusing him of being a sorehead, a poor sport, antisocial, and even evaded him whenever possible. Later, a medical diagnosis showed that he was suffering from serious medical conditions, which had been the cause of his lack of interest in activities that he had previously attended and even sponsored. Let the divine love become the inspiration of personal and social life and a host of evils will disappear, and only those would remain which result from our naivety of Nature’s laws and forces, and from the limitations of human intelligence. #RandolphHarris 3 of 14
Do not prejudge, but give a person an opportunity. Let individuals decide for themselves what is best for them. Sometimes when others invade a person’s privacy, they illegally disclose personal information that will allow people to expose a person’s defects and exploit that individual. When you pry into someone’s personal medical business, not only is it unrighteous, but it probably causes people to treat them and their family with prejudice and causes them to lose respect for their family member and will weaken their faith. This shows how important it is that we do not judge, but encourage rather than denounce. Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago, realizing the human tendency to make unrighteous judgments said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and the way you have treated others, you will be treated the same way.” Before you take it upon yourself to get involved in someone’s private life, you should make sure your life is perfect. The reason we cannot judge is obvious. We cannot see what is in the heart. We do not know motives, although we impute motives to every action we see. They may be pure while we think they are improper. #RandolphHarris 4 of 14
Ethical societies aim is not speculation, but the alleviation of human wickedness. It is not possible to judge another fairly unless you know an individual’s faith, desires, and goals. Because of a different environment, unequal opportunity, and many other things, people are not in the same position. One may start with success and privilege, and the other may start with a meager background and oppression, and they may meet as they are going in opposite directions. However, it is not where you are, but the direction in which you are going that counts; not how close you are to failure or success, but which way you are headed. How can we, with all our weaknesses and frailties, dare to arrogate to ourselves the position of a judge? At best, a person can judge only what they see; one cannot judge the heart nor the intention, usually, or begin to judge the potential of another individual they do not know. When we try to judge people, which we should not do, we have a great tendency to look for and take pride in finding weaknesses and faults, such as vanity, dishonesty, immorality, and intrigue. As a result, we see only the worst side of those being judged. And when people sin against another openly, cruelly, the speculations of the cloister, in which sin is treated as an illusion magnifies. #RandolphHarris 5 of 14
Our news media today also seems to be interested mainly in controversial subjects or someone who is being attacked; and regardless of the ninety-nine good things one may do, it is the one weakness or error that alone is emphasized and heralded to the World. We are too prone to listen to, accept, and repeat such adverse criticism, such maliciously spoken or printed words, without stopping to realize the harm we may be doing to some noble person. In contrast to bullying among children, it workplace bullying, the instigators are very often people in positions of organizational leadership, or who have the organizational support of someone in a position of leadership. Reporting a bully in the workplace thus puts the worker at risk of being targeted by management for retaliation and ever more aggression. More importantly, when bulling in the workplace is instigated or condoned by someone in a position of organizational leadership, efforts to report or stop it can quickly escalate from bullying to mobbing. Mobbing involves a group of people, acting under the influence of someone in a position of organizational leadership, who become increasingly aggressive and increase in number until the targeted worker is removed from the group, or the gang is completely disempowered. The fire is malice is usually started by some envious person. #RandolphHarris 6 of 14
Mobbing is not the same as being disliked by a lot of people. Mobbing starts when someone in a position of authority communicates to the population that they want a particular person gone. When this happens, people in the community will be encourage to target and exploit and attack the individual and report them for any infraction, real or rumored, and they quickly learn that any adversarial action, physically or verbally, taken against the individual, is acceptable. The mob also will quickly mobilize to protect their own interest and align with community leaders, and recast the target as a trouble maker who must be removed by any means necessary—but most will do so under the genuine perception that it is the targeted individual who is the problem, and not the instigating aggressor(s). The aggression is often unfair and illegal, and the purpose is to facilitate and reinforce a shared negative perception of the targeted worker, regardless of the individual’s prior reputation or value to the community. Sometimes even when our friends are accused of wrongdoing or gossip is started about the, we disloyally accept and repeat what we hear without knowing all of the facts. It is sad indeed that sometimes friendships are destroyed and enmity created on the basis of misinformation. Secretive and specious investigations will rapidly frighten, anger, and exhaust the individual while tension, fear, and compliance are heightened among others. #RandolphHarris 7 of 14
If there be one place in life where the attitude of the agnostic is acceptable, it is in this matter of judging. It is the courage to say, I do not know. I am waiting for further evidence. I must hear both sides of the question.” Or when it comes to mobbing a person, we could say, “That is not something I am interested in doing. It does not sound rational.” Only by suspending judgment do we exhibit real charity. It is hard to understand why we are ready to condemn our neighbors and our friends on circumstantial evidence or by request, while we are all so determined to see that every criminal has a fair and open trial. Surely we can try to eliminate pride, passion, personal feeling, prejudice, and pettiness from our minds, and show charity to those around us. Let us look for the good rather than try to discover any hidden evil. We can easily find fault in others if that is what we are looking for. Even in families, divorce has resulted and families have been broken up because the husband or wife was looking for and emphasizing the faults rather than loving and extolling the virtues of the other. Also, if you are trying to attract business to your company, city, or trying to find a new job, it is not going to help you get a contract if it is known that you are involved in mobbing oppression. Even some people may shy away from you just for being associated with an evil cult. #RandolphHarris 8 of 14
Let us remember too that the further out of line or out of tune we ourselves are, the more we are inclined to look for error or weaknesses in others and to try to rationalize and justify our own faults rather than to try to improve ourselves. I want to reduce the amount of negativity in my life because I do not want it to affect the people around me, so I have to remove myself from certain groups. When you keep a private journal, and are not expressing to anyone what is going on, but trying to appear happy all the time, if you know someone is reading it, it is a good idea for your sake and the sake of others to stay away from the unnecessary problems. I do not want to be responsible for someone finding my private journal and getting upset and taking it out on someone else, especially when they have a touch job. So, I have to stay away from some of my friends because they are associated with people involved in mobbing and I do not want that energy to affect anyone in my life, nor myself. Almost invariably, we find that the greatest criticism of Church leaders and doctrines come from comes from those who are not doing their fully duty, following the leaders, nor living according to the teaching of the gospel. #RandolphHarris 9 of 14
An outstanding example of bullying and oppressive behavior can be found in the story of Cain and Able. Cain neglected his own stewardship and became so bitter over Abel’s righteousness and favor in the eyes of the Lord that his insane jealousy caused him to murder his brother. How much better would his situation have been had he congratulated and honored his brother and set about to improve himself and correct his own failings. Those who cannot do for themselves get jealous and try to hurt others. Let us examine or own lives and actions, bring ourselves in tune with righteous principles, and never attack or spread misinformation about others. Gossip is the worst form of judging. The tongue is the most dangerous, destructive, and deadly weapon available to human beings. A vicious tongue can ruin the reputation and even the future of the one attacked. Insidious attacks against one’s reputation, loathsome innuendoes, half-lies about an individual are as deadly as those insect parasites that kill the heart and life of a might Cyprus tree. They are so stealthy and cowardly that one cannot guard against them. It is easier to dodge an elephant than a microbe. What a different World it would be if we could learn to love each other. Instead, we are all so inclined to judge others by a standard different from the one why which we wish or be willing to be judged. #RandolphHarris 10 of 14
If Jesus were to stand by and be asked to judge those whom we accuse and should say to us, “One that is without sin among you, let one cast a stone,” and then should stoop and write in the sand, how many of us would feel to steal away shamed convicted of our own conscience. How sound is his counsel. The form of the Son of God stands forth pre-eminent; his cross rises against the sky; the perfect ideal of love is realized. The secret of the victories of Christianity is revealed at the conquest of human nature by Eternal Love immanent in the World from the first, and struggling for recognition. If we could accept and practice the second great commandment to love others as we love ourselves, and really learn to love our neighbors, there would be no vicious gossip or bearing false witness. In the Lord’s prayer, we have these words, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. For if you forgive people their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not people of their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6.12-14-14.) Christ is our greatest example of forgiveness. On the cross he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23.34.) Relinquishing anger brings many benefits. It allows us to move up to a more effective and effortless state of inner freedom. #RandolphHarris 11 of 14
The tongue of a viper is less hurtful than that of a slanderer. Slander: a lot of that often falls from bad people’s mouths upon good people’s names and professions. Regardless of our ego, our pride, or our feeling of insecurity, our lives would be happier, we would be contributing more to social welfare and the happiness of others, if we would love one another, forgive one another, repent of our wrongdoings, and judge not. It is true that we must have appointed judges to deal with the laws of the land and judges in the Church to deal with its members; and they are given the heavy duty and responsibility of judging, which they must not neglect, but they must give righteous judgment according to the law of the land and of the Church. Let us stand on principle—high principle. Also, it is important that all of us, including our politicians, strive to live so that our actions will be above reproach and criticism. We never gain anything nor improve our own character by trying to tear down another. We have seen close friendships destroyed, and families ripped apart by words spoken and accusations made in the heat of a campaign. There have been tirades against people and families that tend to cause our youth to lose faith in humanity and others in government and often even our form of government itself. #RandolphHarris 12 of 14
As mature individuals, we have the responsibility in our houses to guard against anything that is foul from taking root in our foundation. It is important to protect your family and children. Also, we must realize that every word and every act influences the thinking and attitude of the child. It is in the family that the child picks up the elementary lessons in getting along with people and the virtues of love, compassion, and concern. These lessons will have been well taught if parents can bring up their children without prejudicing them by precept or example against any other children on the grounds of color, race, religion, social status, physical capacity, or intellectual capacity, and if they teach them to love the Lord. I am so thankful that my parents, through their tolerance and understanding, were able to accomplish this with their children. May I humbly say in all sincerity that I love the Lord with all my heart and that I love my fellow human beings, the animals and nature. I hold no hard feelings of any kind toward any people, and I sincerely pray for forgiveness wherein I have offended anyone. To all the World, and especially to those who do not understand, but who ridicule the teachings of the Church, judge not until you know and understand those teachings which are contained in the restored gospel. #RandolphHarris 13 of 14
We believe, with you, that God lives, and that Jesus Christ is his Only, but truly Begotten Son in the flesh, who came and gave his life and was resurrected so that all humankind might enjoy immortality. He said, “This is my work and my glory—to being to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings” (Moses 1.39). And he gave us the gospel plan by which we can prepare ourselves to go back into his presence and enjoy eternal life. Know that the Lord has loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. If you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it on to you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things. God is saying you need to get ready. He is going to finish what he started. No one and nothing can stop him from fulfilling his promises. He will complete your incompletions, even the secret petitions of your heart. This is the promise and testimony I leave you with in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 14 of 14
Randolph Harris II International Institute 