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This is the Soul-Searching Fact at the Heart of Our Modern Sadness!

Outside the kingdom of the Lord there is no nation which is greater than any other. God and history will remember your judgment. A time comes when one must weary of one’s paradise, when a desire appears for the conditions which ne was formerly glad to leave behind but now would be glad to take up again. Thus it is that humans shuttle through this Universe of opposites. We find a certain phenomena in nature. We seek a cause or author. We imagine that we have found Him. We afterwards become so enamoured of this offspring of our brain, that we imagine it impossible, but He must produce something greater and more perfect than the present scene of things, which are so full of ill disorder. In a since, God has allowed humans to be the authors of their existence or order it the Universe; it follows, that they possess that precise degree of power, intelligence, and benevolence, which appears in their craft. They have assisted the ascent of reason by the wings of imagination; otherwise humans could not change their manner of inference, and argue from causes to effects; presuming, that a more perfect production than the present World would be more suitable to such perfect beings as the gods, and forgetting that they have no reason to ascribe to these beings any perfection or any attribute, but what can be found in the present World. #RandolphHarris 1 of 31

Hence all the fruitless industry to account for the ill appearances of nature, and save the honour of the gods; while we must acknowledge the reality of that evil and disorder, with which the World so much abounds. Physics finds that nothing is ultimately permanent, that everything moves from its present condition to its opposite. Need we be surprised that history finds somewhat the same cyclic movement in the activities of humankind, that deterioration of even the best comes with time, that improvement of even the worst follows too? It is as true in the domain of inner life as in the outer one that Nature must restore equilibrium when it is lacking, must compensate opposing forces by balancing them. If it were not continuously being equilibrated in some of its parts, there could not be any stable Universe. This is happening by obedience to law, not by chance. It is happening wherever the movement or development of human and Nature reaches an extreme, when it forces a reversal of direction of the movement backward toward the other and totally dissimilar extreme. The pattern followed is therefore a rhythmic one, shuttling between one pole and its opposite. #RandolphHarris 2 of 31

In this history of humans, when the point of fullness in any particular development is approached, a contradictory movement begins to come into play and, at first gradually but later suddenly, reverses the direction of one’s tendencies. In this way not only are neglected potentialities activated but also some sort of an equilibrium is maintained. These critical turning points are always marked by great and violent upheavals. The Universe is not only constructed by divine intelligence no a two-way oscillating rhythm, but also on a balancing force between both movements. If humans upset Nature’s equilibrium by excess, she sets up a reversal in compensation, a movement toward lack, restraint. This is the endless oscillation of things, history. There is a threefold movement in nature and life—forward, backward, and neutralizing. There is an Old World theory that everything that has been will be again, repeating itself by a precise mathematical law when the same particles of matter are brought together again. And that there is a perpetual alternation between change and changelessness, of endless rhythm and periodicity which provides no evolutionary goal but makes life an end in itself. #RandolphHarris 3 of 31

Why take these attributes for granted, or why ascribe to the cause any qualities but what actually appear in the effect? Why torture your brain to justify the course of nature upon suppositions, which, for aught you know, may be entirely imaginary, and of which there are to be found no traces in the course of nature? It is useless; because our knowledge of this cause being derived entirely from the course of nature, we can never, according to the rules of reasoning, return back from the cause with any new inference, or making additions to the common and experienced course of nature, establish any new principles of conduct and behaviour. Eternal Recurrence is the eternal law, that perpetual repetitive movement is the universal condition, is questionable at the very least, unjustifiable at the very most. If the human race, for example, were doomed to repeat all its mistakes and misdeeds again and again, its life would be senseless. Such an outlook is not far from the merely materialistic one. The idea of recurring historic cycles is well established in the Old World. If you saw, for instance, a half-finished building, surrounded with heaps of brick and stone and mortar, and all the instruments of masonry; could you not infer from the effect, that it was a work of design and contrivance? #RandolphHarris 4 of 31

And could you not return again, from this inferred cause, to infer new additions to the effect, and conclude, that the mansion would soon be finished, and receive all the further improvements, which art could bestow upon it? If you saw upon the sea-shore the print of one human foot, you would conclude, that a man had passed that way, and that he had also left the traces of the other foot, though effaced by the rolling of the sands or inundation of the waters. Why then do you refuse to admit the same method of reasoning with regard to the order of nature? Consider the World and the present life only as an imperfect Victorian mansion, from which you can infer a superior intelligence; and arguing from that superior intelligence, which can leave nothing imperfect; why may you not infer a more finished scheme or plan, which will receive its completion in some distant point of space of time? Are not these methods of reasoning exactly similar? And under what pretence can you embrace that one, while you respect the other? All things move forward, stop, and wheel back on themselves. They increase and strengthen but also bend and submit. This advance and retreat is both a cycle and a spiral. It is not blind, for thus it established equilibrium and obeys law, that is, it gives meaning. #RandolphHarris 5 of 31

Nowhere in Nature does a situation, a circumstance, a creature, or a person recur exactly as before. It is that Nature repeats herself, but during the interval the spiral has wound its way onward. In the spiral’s form we see the coming together of that which is the hidden being and that which is the visible one, so the full truth is revealed. It is true f a creature or a globe. Whenever you see a spiral form in nature, you will find it stands for a form which is developing, growing, changing, or moving. The infinite difference of the subjects is a sufficient foundation for this difference in my conclusions. In works of human art and contrivance, it is allowable to advance from the effect to the cause, and returning back from the cause, to form new inferences concerning the effect, and examine the alterations, which it has probably undergone, or may still undergo. However, what is the foundation of this method of reasoning? Plainly this; that humans are beings, whom we know by experience, whose motives and designs we are acquainted with, and whose projects and inclinations have a certain connexion and coherence, according to the laws which nature has established for the government of such a creature. #RandolphHarris 6 of 31

When, therefore, we find, that any work has proceeded from the skill and industry of humans; as we are otherwise acquainted with the nature of the animal, we can draw a hundred inference concerning what may be expected from one; and these inferences will all be founded in experience and observation. However, did we know humans only from the single work or production which we examine, it were impossible for us to argue in this manner; because our knowledge of all the production, it is impossible they could point to any thing farther, or be the foundation of any new inference. When considered alone, the print of a foot in the sand can only prove that there was some figure adapted to it, by which it was produced: However, the print of a human foot proves likewise, from our other experience, that there was probably another foot, which also left its impression, though effaced by time or other accidents. Here we mount from the effect to the cause; and descending again from the cause, infer alterations in the effect; but this is not a continuation of the same simple chain of reasoning. #RandolphHarris 7 of 31

We comprehend in this case a hundred other experiences and observations, concerning the usual figure and members of that species of animal, without which this method of argument must be considered as fallacious and sophistical. The case is not the same with our reasonings from the works of nature. The Deity is known to us only by one’s productions, and is a single being in the Universe, not comprehended under any species or genus, from whose experienced attributes or qualities, we can, by analogy, infer any attribute or quality in one. As the Universe shows wisdom and goodness, we infer wisdom and goodness. As it shows a particular degree of these perfections, we infer a particular degree of them, precisely adapted to the effect which we examine. However, father attributes or father degrees of the same attributes, we can never be authorized to infer or suppose, by any rules of just reasoning. Now, without some such licence of supposition, it is impossible for us to argue from the cause, or infer any alteration in effect, beyond what has immediately fallen under our observation. Greater good produced by this Being must still prove a greater degree of goodness: A more impartial distribution of reward and punishments must proceed from a greater regard to justice and equity. #RandolphHarris 8 of 31

Every supposed addition to the works of nature makes an addition to the attributes of the Author of nature; and consequently, being entirely unsupported by any reason or argument, can never be admitted but as mere conjecture and hypothesis. I tried to reason my way to the truth, but that only got me through the door. From there I had to learn faith. We were raised to be loyal to our faith, to believe in God, to attend church, and to obey the commandments—and we saw no need to change. We paid little attention to the criticism of our faith. In some of the classes I was taking, the professors taught that the purposes and object of laws is to maintain peace, structure, safety, and stability in a community. It struck me then that this was the purpose of God’s laws. Obeying them created peace and harmony within the community. If God has laws (and he must), and if He has a proper interpretation of them (which He must), a community that followed those laws would be God’s perfect community, one of peace and order—pure peace and order. #RandolphHarris 9 of 31

A community where the people of God could live together in peace and harmony. A kingdom where God could dwell. Through studying the teachings of humans and the teachings of God, I found that some arguments against the true gospel seem, at times, more convincing than arguments for it. Not only are the philosophies of humans very persuasive and usually easier to live, but reason alone is in most cases sufficient to the convincing of natural humans. The gospel of Jesus Christ, however, is not always persuasive to the natural human, entrapped as one is in the entanglements of logic and reason. Sometimes, somewhere, that person who would be truly converted to the Church, be one member or not, must be humble and submissive enough to have an overwhelming desire to know the truth. Not just to continue the aimless, well-worn path from philosophy to philosophy to mythology, but to seek to actually know God’s absolute truths and to live them. If it were not for the witness of the Spirit to confirm truth to us, we would be as confused and perplexed as the philosophies themselves. Through keeping baptismal covenants, we lay aside the natural human. #RandolphHarris 10 of 31

As a result, we create the void which necessitates a spiritual witness; reason alone is no longer sufficient. However, besides that ordinary course of nature may convince us, that almost everything is regulated by principles and maxims very different from ours; Besides this, I say, it must evidently appear contrary to all rules of analogy to reason, from the intentions and projects of humans, to those of a Being so different, and so much superior. In human nature, there is a certain experienced coherence of designs and inclinations; so that when, from any fact, we have discovered one intention of any human, it may often be reasonable, from experience, to infer another, and draw a long chain of conclusions concerning one’s past or future conduct. However, this method of reasoning can never have place with regard to a Being, so remote and incomprehensible, who bears much less analogy to any other being in the Universe than the sun to a waxed taper, and who discovers oneself only by some faint traces or outlines, beyond which we have no authority to ascribe to Him any attribute or perfect. What we imagine to be a superior perfection, may really be a defect. #RandolphHarris 11 of 31

Or were it ever so much a perfection the ascribing of it to the Supreme Being, where it appears not to have been really exerted, to the full, in His works, savours more of flattery and panegyric, than of just reasoning and sound philosophy. All the philosophy, therefore, in the World, and all the religion, which is nothing but a species of philosophy, will never be able to carry us beyond the usual course of experience, or give us measures of conduct and behaviour differ from those which are furnished by reflections on common life. No new fact can ever be inferred from the religious hypothesis; no event foreseen or foretold; no reward or punishment expected or dreaded, beyond what is already know by practice and observation. Yet, if there is your stance on God and religion, there is still one circumstance, which you seem to have overlooked. This seems to fulfill the words of Moroni: “Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith,” reports Ether 12.6. By obeying the commandments, we become worthy of further witness. The Saviour said: “If any human will do God’s will, one shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself,” reports John 7.17. #RandolphHarris 12 of 31

God lives and He is speaking to us in these last days. As witnesses we know this. God has been seen, heard, and felt. With the declaration that the gospel has been restored is the promise that the Holy Ghost will also witness the fact to you, and then you will know. God is trying to straighten out all of our concerns, and only when one has enough faith will one be able to hear his message. God went to quite a bit of trouble so that we could have the gospel, and now the prophet is telling us that we had better pay attention because these things are for our happiness and that the “rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 1.3. Today there is about a fifty-percent divorce rate in America, and the rate is not much lower for professing Christians. However, the problem is not divorce—though divorce generates a set of problems all its own. The problem is that people do not know how to be married. They do not actually get married in many cases, though they go through a legal and possibly a religious ceremony. They are, sad to say, incapable of marriage—the kind of constant mutual blessing that can make two people in conjugal relation literally one whole person. “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. #RandolphHarris 13 of 31

“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband,” reports Ephesians 5.22-33. It is not their fault that so many marriages end in divorce. In their World, how could they know? Who would teach them? This is the soul-searing fact at the heart of our modern sadness. #RandolphHarris 14 of 31

To be married to give oneself to another person in the most intimate and inclusive of human relationships, to support one for good in every way possible—physically, emotionally, and spiritually, of course, but in every way conceivable dimension of one’s being. Nothing ever given to humanity more adequately portrays what marriage is than the “traditional service,” the “Form of Solemnization of Matrimony,” in the old Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Just consider some of its wording. Anyone who wished the situation with divorce and family breakup today should begin with careful study of the giving of oneself and the receiving of another that is manifested in the vows of this traditional service: “I…take thee…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part…” Insight into the meaning of the vows will clearly bring out why the ideal intent of marriage is one man, one woman for life (or whatever newer forms may be considered). The “mutual submission to each other in awe of the Lord,” which is the vision of marriage in Christ, eliminates both assault and withdrawal from this most basic of human relationships. #RandolphHarris 15 of 31
Thereby marriage provides the matrix of womb from which (in God’s plan) whole human being can emerge to form whole and human communities, under God. This “womb” is then, of course, the overall home life of the child, not just a particular part of the woman’s body. Birth should only be a move from one part to a larger part of the same home. This home is as much or more the man’s responsibility as the woman’s for it is the man’s role to make it possible for the woman to do what she alone can do for the child—and for him. And for her part, then, she is to help in making it possible for him to do what he alone can do for her and the child—and this in the midst of constant sacrificial submission on the part of each to overall good of the other. In case there are no children involved, they still “lay down their life” for each other. That is what marriage involves. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this right. ‘Honour your father and mother’—which is the first commandment wit a promise—‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the Earth.’ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord,” reports Ephesians 6.1-4. #RandolphHarris 16 of 31

The human who wisely disciplines oneself for godliness understand the necessity of prioritizing and realism and prayer and accountability and that failure is part of success, but one’s greatest wisdom and impetus comes from one’s understanding of grace. Everything in one’s life comes from God’s grace—sola gratia—grace alone! Salvation itself is by grace alone. We were dead in our transgressions and sins, captive to dark powers, no more capable of effecting our own salvation than a corpse. “But…God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression—it is by grace you have been saved…For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” reports Ephesians 2.4, 8, 9. We are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favour. Even the smallest percentage of works debases saving grace, as Paul made so pointedly clear: “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace,” reports Romans 11.6. Sola gratia. Salvation is by grace alone, and living the Christian life is by grace alone also. James makes this stunning declaration regarding the believer’s universal experience in this World: “But he gives us more grace,” reports James 4.6. #RandolphHarris 17 of 31

This is not saving grace, but grace to live our lives as we ought in this fallen World—literally, “greater grace.” There is always “more grace.” An artist once submitted a painting of Niagara Falls to an exhibition, but neglected to give it a title. The gallery, faced with the need to supply one, came up with these words: “More to Follow.” Old Niagara Falls, spilling over billions of gallons per year for thousands of years, has more than met the needs of those below and is a fit emblem of the floods of God’s grace He showers upon us. There is always more to follow! The Apostle John referred to this reality, saying, “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace,” reports John 1.16—literally, “grace instead of grace,” or as others have rendered it, “grace following grace” or “grace heaped upon grace.” “For daily need there is daily grace; for sudden need, sudden grace; for overwhelming need, overwhelming grace, proclaims John Blanchard. As we tackle the disciplines of a Godly human, we must remember it is a matter of grace from beginning to end. #RandolphHarris 18 of 31

Consider slowly and carefully Paul’s words, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me,” reports 1 Corinthians 15.10. You see there is no contradiction between grace and hard work. In fact, grace produces spiritual sweat! It is God’s grace that energizes us to live out the disciplines of a Godly human. There is always more grace. Grace of Purity, Grace for Marriage, Grace for Fatherhood, Grace for Motherhood, Grace for Friendship, Grace for Mind, Grace for Devotion, Grace for Prayer, Grace for Worship, Grace for Integrity, Grace for Tongue, Grace for Work, Grace for Church, Grace for Leadership, Grace for Giving, Grace for Witness, Grace for Ministry. Brothers and Sister, when we attempt to do God’s will, God always gives more grace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed ere the day is half done; when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving is only begun. God’s love has no limits, His grace has no measure. #RandolphHarris 19 of 31

God’s power has no boundary know unto humans; for out of His infinite riches in Jesus, God giveth, and giveth, and giveth. Make a complete listen of all the areas of your life in which you need greater discipline. Then, for each, write down what you can do to experience increased discipline. Since you cannot accomplish this in your own strength and must have God’s help, your answers should include ways you can receive divine assistance and enabling. During my junior-high years, in the midst of a time of uncertainty and insecurity, I remember having a keen interest in spiritual matters. I felt a strong desire to go to church, but could find no answers. I recall a stained-glass window in our church depicting an Angel kneeling with its wings outstretched. How I yearned to crawl under those wings for security, protection, and peace. I wanted to know what I believed. I was searching for meaning in my life. The people in the church seemed to sincerely care about each other. There was not the superficiality I had encountered at so many other social and business groups. During the holidays, a family with adult children, three boys, two of them twins, and an adult daughter really impressed me. #RandolphHarris 20 of 31

They hungout in their living room, and the dad read stories from a book, and his wife and kids all laughed, and they really liked each other and enjoyed being together. I was overcome with emotions of joy, awe, and thankfulness. This magnificent moment this family shared with me tugged at my spiritual chords within me. They were generous, living, gracious, compassionate, kind, and humble. I admired this family’s strength of character that I sensed was lacking in myself. They trusted Christ to rule their lives instead of themselves. That was so contrary to the way I was living my life. It was during this time that I received another invitation to a dinner being held at a country club by a business acquaintance. It was to feature a testimony by a business executive and his wife on what their relationship with Christ has meant in their lives. Out of respect for my friend, I went. Here I heard what I had been hearing at Bible study but from a business executive, someone who had been struggling with many of the things that I was struggling with. I could definitely identify with him. I realized that Revelations 3.20 was speaking to me: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with one, and one with me.” #RandolphHarris 21 of 31

A new relationship was deepening within me—one with Christ. My desire to follow, serve, and obey Christ had become first in my life. With that decision I wanted to spend my time differently. Lifestyle preferences changed. The power of Scripture was beginning to take root for the first time in my life. I was stronger, more forgiving, more independent, and less argumentative. I began to trust God in daily decisions and realized that God is sovereign and in control of my life. God had done what He promised, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God,” reports Ezekiel 11.19-20. God’s forgiveness and grace makes people feel free and alive in a new way. God will fill a person with a new power and a totally new sense of self-worth. By trusting in God, things will workout better. Trying to please Him instead of oneself somehow takes the pressure off and makes one feel better about life. #RandolphHarris 22 of 31

Jesus Christ can make all this difference in our lives. Our lives are a living testimony of His power. Through countless trials, struggles, and everyday events Christ has guided our path. He has blessed us beyond our hopes. We are grateful to the many who pray for, nurture, and bless us. As most business people know, by profession a healthy skepticism comes naturally. However, once one discovered the Way, the Truth, and the Life—the Lord Jesus Christ—we learn where to put our trust. God is faithful. He loves you, and He loves me. Trust in Him. “And now I, Moroni, write a few of the words of my father Mormon, which he spake concerning faith, hope, and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught them in the synagogue which they have built for the place of worship. And now I, Mormon, speak uno you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time. Wherefore, I would speak unto you that you are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in Heaven. #RandolphHarris 23 of 31
“And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men. For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. For behold, God hah said a man being evil cannot do what which is good; for if one offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except one shall do it with real intent it profiteth one nothing. For behold it is not counted unto one for righteousness. For behold, if a human being evil giveth a gift, one doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a human, if one shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth one nothing for God recieveth none such. Wherefore, a human being evil cannot do what which is good; neither will one give a good gift. For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a human being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if one follow Christ one cannot be a servant of the devil. Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God. #RandolphHarris 24 of 31

“Being an enemy unto God the devil fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. However, behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the ways to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every human, that one may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is God. However, whatsoever thing persuadeth humans to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no human to do good, no, not one. #RandolphHarris 25 of 31
“Neither do the devil’s angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto the devil. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly be a child of Christ. And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may law hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent Angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest thing unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ. #RandolphHerris 26 of 31

“Otherwise humans were fallen, and there could be no good come unto them. Wherefore, by the ministering of Angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. And after that he same unto men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into Heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he clamieth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocated the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the Heaven. #RandolphHarris 27 of 31
“And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have Angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and firm mind in every form and Godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call humans unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the Earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved. #RandolphHarris 28 of 31

“And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true as the day of miracles ceased? Or have Angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the Earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that Angels appear and minister unto humans; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain. For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made. However, behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things for you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church. #RandolphHarris 29 of 31
“And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. Wherefore, if a human have faith one must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. And again, behold I say unto you that one cannot have faith and hope, save one shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, one’s faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a human be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, one must needs have charity; for if one have not charity one is nothing; wherefore one must needs have charity. And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not one’s own , is not easily provoke, thinketh no evil, and rejoice not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. #RandolphHarris 30 of 31

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is fund possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with one. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen,” reports Moroni 7.1-48. For all this, Thy name, O our King, shall be blessed and exalted for ever and ever. May all the living do homage unto Thee forever and praise Thy name in truth, O God, who art our salvation and our help. Blessed be Thou, O, Lord, Beneficent One, unto whom our thanks are due. Our God and God of our fathers, bless us. #RandolphHarris 31 of 31
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And Now the Purple Dusk of Twilight Time Steals Across the Meadows of My Heart!

Civilization beings with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos. If one is always a little hungry, never quite warm enough, and never falling prey to the dangers of the soft life of self-gratification, a person can think and meditate better. Meditation is just oiling the machinery and making the unused parts come into use. You have not done enough, you have never done enough, so long as it is possible that you have something of value to contribute. Let us now consider whether justice requires the toleration of the intolerant, and if so under what conditions. There are a variety of situations in which this question arises. Some political parties in democratic states hold doctrines that commit them to suppress the constitutional liberties whenever they have power. Again, there are those who reject intellectual freedom but who nevertheless hold positions in the university. It may appear that toleration in these cases is inconsistent with the principles of justice, or at any rate not required by them. I shall discuss the matter in connection with religious toleration. With appropriate alterations the argument can be extended to these other instances. #RandolphHarris 1 of 20

Several questions should be distinguished. First, there is the question whether an intolerant sect has any title to complain if it is not tolerated; second, under what conditions tolerant sects have a right not to tolerate those which are intolerant; and last, when they have the right not to tolerate them, for what ends it should be exercised. Beginning with the first question, it seems that an intolerant sect has no title to complain when it is denied an equal liberty. At least this follows if it is assumed that one has no title to object to the conduct of others that is in accordance with principles one would use in similar circumstance to justify one’s action toward them. A person’s right to complain is limited to violations of principles one acknowledges oneself. A complaint is a protest addressed to another in good faith. It claims a violation of a principle that both parties accept. Now, to be sure, an intolerant human will say that one acts in good faith and that one does not ask anything for oneself that one denies to others. One’s view, let us suppose, is that one is acting on the principle that God is to be obeyed and the truth accepted by all. #RandolphHarris 2 of 20

This principle is absolute authority is perfectly general and by acting on it one is not making an exception in one’s own case. As one sees that matter, one is following the correct principle others reject. The reply to this defense is that, from the standpoint of the original position (designed to be a fair and impartial point of view that is to be adopted in our reasoning about fundamental principles of justice), no particular interpretation of religious truth can be acknowledged as binding upon citizens generally; nor can it be agreed that there should be one authority with the right to settle questions of theological doctrine. Each person must insist upon an equal right t decide what one’s religious obligations are. One cannot give up this right to another person or institutional authority. In fact, a human exercises one’s liberty in deciding to accept anther as an authority even when one regards this authority as infallible, since in doing this one in no way abandons one’s equal liberty of conscience as a matter of constitutional law. For this liberty as secured by justice is imprescriptible: a person is always free to change one’s faith and this right does not depend upon one’s having exercised one’s powers of choice regularly or intelligently. #RandolphHarris 3 of 20

We may observe that human beings having an equal liberty of conscience is consistent with the idea that all humans ought to obey God and accept the truth. The problem of liberty is that of choosing a principle by which the claims humans make on one another in the name of their religion are to be regulated. Granting that God’s will should be followed and the truth recognized does not as yet define a principle of adjudication. From the fact that God’s intention is to be complied with, it does follow that any person or institution has authority to interfere with another’s interpretation of one’s religious obligations. This religious principle justifies no one in demanding in law or politics a greater liberty for oneself. The only principles which authorize claims on institutions are those that would be chosen in the original position. Let us suppose, then, that an intolerant sect has no title to complain of intolerance. We still cannot say that tolerant sects have the right to suppress them. For one thing, others may have a right to complain. They may have this right not as a right to complain on behalf of the intolerant, but simply as a right to object whenever a principle of justice is violated. For justice is infringed whenever equal liberty is denied without sufficient reason. #RandolphHarris 4 of 20

The question, then, is whether being intolerant of another in grounds enough for limiting someone’s liberty. To simplify things, assumes that the tolerant sects have the right not to tolerate the intolerant in at least one circumstances, namely, when they sincerely and with reason believe that intolerance is necessary for their own security. This right follows readily enough since, as the original position is defined, each would agree to the right of self-preservation. Justice does not require that humans must stand idly by while others destroy the basis of their existence. Since it can never be to human’s advantage, from a general point of view, to forgo the right of self-protection, the only question, then, is whether the tolerant have a right to curb the intolerant when they are of no immediate danger to the equal liberties of others. Suppose that, in some way or other, an intolerant sect comes to exist within a well-ordered society accepting the two principles of justice. How are the citizens of this society to act in regard to it? Now certainly they would not suppress it simply because the members of the intolerant sect could not complain were they to do so. #RandolphHarris 5 of 20

Rather, since a just constitution exists, all citizens have a natural duty of justice to uphold it. We are not released from this duty whenever others are disposed to act unjustly. A more stringent condition is required: there must be some considerable risks to our own legitimate interests. Thus just citizens should strive to preserve the constitution with all its equal liberties as long as liberty itself and their own freedom are not in danger. They can properly force the intolerant to respect the liberty of others, since a person can be required to respect the rights established by principles that one would acknowledge in the original position. However, when the constitution itself is secure, there is no reason to deny freedom to the intolerant. The question of tolerating the intolerant is directly related to that of the stability of a well-ordered society regulated by the two principles. We can see this as follows. It is from the position of equal citizenship that persons join the various religious associations, and it is from this position that they should conduct their discussions with one another. Citizens in a free society should not think one another incapable of a sense of justice unless this is necessary for the sake of liberty itself. #RandolphHarris 6 of 20

If an intolerant sect appears in a well-ordered society, the others should keep in mind the inherent stability of their institutions. The liberties of the intolerant may persuade them to a belief in freedom. This persuasion works on the psychological principle that those whose liberties are protected by and who benefit from a just constitution will, ceteris paribus (other things equal), acquire an allegiance to it over a period of times. So even if an intolerant sect should arise, provided that it is not so strong initially that it can impose its will straightway, or does not grow so rapidly that the psychological principle has no time to take hold, it will tend to lose its intolerance and accept liberty of conscience. This is the consequence of the stability of just institutions, for stability means that when tendencies to injustice arise other forces will be called into play that work to preserve the justice of the whole arrangement. Of course, the intolerant sect may be so strong initially or growing so fast that the forces making for stability cannot convert it to liberty. This situation presents a practical dilemma which philosophy alone cannot resolve it. #RandolphHarris 7 of 20

Whether the liberty of the intolerant should be limited to preserve freedom under a just constitution depends on the circumstances. The theory of justice only characterizes the just constitution, the end of political action by reference to which practical decisions are to be made. In pursuing this end the natural strength of free institutions must not be forgotten, nor should it be supposed that tendencies to depart from them go unchecked and always win out. Knowing the inherent stability of a just constitution, members of a well-ordered society have the confidence to limit the freedom of the intolerant only in the special cases when it is necessary for preserving equal liberty itself. Therefore, while an intolerant sect does not itself have title to complain of intolerance, its freedom should be restricted only when the tolerant sincerely and with reason believe that their own security and that of the institutions of liberty are in danger. The tolerant should curb the intolerant only in this case. The leading principle is to establish a justice constitution with the liberties of equal citizenship. The just should be guided by the principles of justice and not the fact that the unjust cannot complain. #RandolphHarris 8 of 20

It should be noted that even when the freedom of the intolerant is limited to safeguard a just constitution, this is not done in the name of maximizing liberty. The liberties of some are not suppressed simply to make possible a greater liberty for others. Justice forbids this sort of reasoning in connection with liberty as much as it does in regard to the sum of advantages. It is only the liberty of the intolerant which is to be limited, and this is done for the sake of equal liberty under a just constitution the principles of which the intolerant themselves would acknowledge in the original position. The argument in this and in the preceding sections suggests that the adoption of the principle of equal liberty can be viewed as a limiting case. Even though their differences are profound and no one knows how to reconcile them by reason, humans can, from the standpoint of the original position, still agree on this principle if they can agree on any principle at all. This idea which arose historically with religious toleration can be extended to other instances. Thus we can suppose that the persons in the original position know that they have moral convictions although, as the veil of ignorance requires, they do not know what these convictions are. #RandolphHarris 9 of 20

They understand that the principles they acknowledge are to override these beliefs when there is a conflict; but otherwise they need not revise their opinions nor give them up when these principles do not uphold them. In this way the principles of justice can adjudicate between opposing moralities just as they regular the claims of rival religions. Within the framework that justice established, moral conceptions with different principles, or conceptions representing a different balancing of the same principles, may be adopted by various parts of society. What is essential is that when persons with different convictions make conflicting demands on the basic structure as a matter of political principle, they are to judge these claims by the principles of justice. The principles that would be chosen in the original position are the kernel of political morality. They not only specify the terms of cooperation between persons but they define a pact of reconciliation between diverse religions and moral beliefs, and the forms of culture to which they belong. If this conception of justice now seems largely negative, we shall see that it has a happier side. #RandolphHarris 10 of 20

When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve God regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice. One of the best ways to be sure we are keeping the first great commandment is to keep the second. “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange god before me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The faithful are required to honour the name of God. If we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, it makes sense that we are naturally to respect the name of God with equal passion and vigour. The law of sacrifice provides an opportunity for us to prove to the Lord that we love Him more than any other thing. As a result the course sometimes becomes difficult since this process of perfection that prepares us for the celestial kingdom to “dwell in the presence of God and His Christ forever and ever,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 76.62. The sacred mission of the Church is to “invite all to come unto Christ,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 20.59. Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. In that light, the law of sacrifice has always been a means for God’s children to come unto the Lord Jesus Christ. #RandolphHarris 11 of 20

Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; it is though the medium of the sacrifice of all Earthly things that humans do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a human has offered in sacrifice all that one has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding one’s life, and believing before God that one has been called to make this sacrifice because one seeks to do one’s will, one does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept one’s sacrifice and offering, and that one has not, nor will seek one’s face in vain. Under these circumstances, then one can obtain the faith necessary for one to lay hold on eternal life. We know what we do is pleasing before God and understand that this knowledge comes to us through sacrifice and obedience. Those who come unto Christ in this way receive a confidence that whispers peace to their souls and that will eventually enable them to lay hold upon eternal life. Sacrifice allows us to learn something about ourselves—what we are willing to offer the Lord through our obedience. #RandolphHarris 12 of 20

Through sacrifice and service, one comes to know the Lord. As we sacrifice our selfish desires, serve our God and others, we become more like Him. We do this by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. As we comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. We become more sacred and holy—more like our Lord! In fact, the word sacrifice means literally “to make scared,” or “to render sacred.” Our first lessons about the law of sacrifice, as well as other gospel principles, began in our premotal life. We were taught the fulness of the gospel and the plan of salvation. We knew of the Saviour’s mission and of His futre atoning sacrifice, and we willingly sustained Christ as our Saviour and our Redeemer. In fact, we learn from Revelation 12.9, 11 that it is by “the blood of the Lamb” (Christ’s atoning sacrifice) and our testimony that we are able to overcome Satan. The Lord designed in the beginning to place before humans the knowledge of good and evil, and gave one a commandment to cleave to good and abstain from evil. #RandolphHarris 13 of 20

However, if one should fail, God would give unto one the law of sacrifice and provide a Saviour for one, that one might be brought back again into the presence and favour of God and partake of eternal life with God. This is the plan of redemption chosen and instituted by the Alight before human was placed on Earth. Adam and Eve were taught the law of sacrifice and were commanded to practice it by giving offerings. These included two emblems: the firstlings of the flock and the first fruits of the field. They obeyed without questioning. The effect of this law was that the best of the Earth produced, the best specimen in the flock or heard should not be sued for self, but for God. At a time in history when it was a struggle to make sure the family had food, those who sought to worship the Lord were asked to sacrifice the best part of their source of life. It was the real test of Adam and Eve’s faith, and they obeyed. “And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it. Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins. #RandolphHarris 14 of 20
“And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end. And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. And hey did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus. And they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the elders, and if they repented not and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ. #RandolphHarris 15 of 20

“However, as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven. And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done,” reports Moroni 6.1-9. It is especially in our families and similarly close associations that we must identify the elements of assault and withdrawal that defeat love and right relation to others. By insight and practice we must break away from them and reserve them, first by learning a calm but firm non-cooperation with those poisonous elements, and then by initiatives of goodwill and blessing in the midst of them. What we do in our meetings as Christians should be focused on enabling us to do this effectively wherever we are. Those meetings should and could be centers from which powerfully redemptive community spreads. Where to start? In various parts of the United States of America, publicly owned vehicles (police, street maintenance, schools) wear a bumper sticker that proclaims, “There is No Excuse for Domestic Violence.” It is a wonderful idea. #RandolphHarris 16 of 20

However, we need to go deeper, of course. We need to become the kind of people whom domestic violence is unthinkable and never an option. We must be transformed in such a way that our minds and bodies—our very souls—simply do not have the makeup for it. This is the work of the Christian spiritual formations. We must begin in the family. Now the slogan must be, “There is No Excuse for Assault or Withdrawal in the Home.” Do you think that would take care of intimate partner violence? Of course it would. However, the reserve is not true: merely avoiding the subject of intimate partner violence, domestic violence or assault can still leave the home a hell of cutting remarks, contempt, coldness, and withdrawal or noninvolvement. Such a hell is often found in the homes of Christians and even of Christian leaders. Frequently they seem to honestly think that such a condition is normal, and they have no knowledge of any other way. Their very theology may strengthen this tragically false outlook. If I were married, I would seek the help of my spouse in this matter. If not, then a trusted friend who is spiritually mature and not abusive. #RandolphHarris 17 of 20

I would then number my areas of need in order of importance, say: Purity, Mind, Prayer, Witness, Giving, Work, Friendship, and Leadership. Then, beginning with the first need, Purity, I would look over the suggested sub-disciplines and choose one to three things which I think would best help me improve. In doing this, I would resist the temptation to commit myself to too many disciplines. Better to succeed in a few than to assure failure by overcommitment. Perhaps, regarding the discipline of Purity I would choose to commit myself, first, to memorizing Scripture which help steel me to temptations, and second, to not watching anything sensual on TV or at the movies. Perhaps under Witness, I would make commitments to pray that God would give me someone to share Christ with and to join an interest club to meet unchurched people. After going through my life I would have perhaps twenty specific things which I could do to improve my eight weakest areas. However, before commitment to the specifics, I would look at the whole list with honest realism, asking, “Are the things which I am about to commit to really within my reach with the help of God?” #RandolphHarris 18 of 20

Perhaps, regarding the discipline of Mind, I have become so convicted that I am considering committing myself to reading the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice, plus reading The Book of Mormon. Make sure your commitments make you sweat, but also make sure that taken together they are manageable. It is better to increase your commitments as you succeed than to bite off more than you can do. Success begets success. Before setting your commitments in concrete, give yourself a week to think about them and pray over them. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for other ways of personal discipline not mentioned in this essay. Ask your spouse of friend to hold you accountable for your disciplines. Even if it has to be over the phone, make sure you regularly confer and pray. Be honest about your success and failures. And be willing to take advice and make adjustments. You may have some complications, no doubt, and may not succeed at time. When this happens, wounded pride and embarrassment can make you want to take your marbles and go home. We do not like to do things which we fail. #RandolphHarris 19 of 20

However, we must realize that failure is a part of succeeding, provided we admit our failures and go at it again. Moreover, we are not under Law but grace. God is not counting our failure against us, and we are not building a treasure of merit with our success. We are simply trying to live a disciplined life which pleases our loving Father—and He understands our failures better than we understand our own children’s. When the movement in one direction has exhausted itself, there is a pause, and then a reversal directs the movement into the opposite direction. The flow of Nature follows the course indicated by the Principle of Reversion, which throws it back after a time in the opposite direction. When the point of farthest travel is reached, the forces reverse themselves. In this way, excess disciplines and even defeats itself. In this way too the Universe and all the different kinds of existence in it are kept in equilibrium. In the to-and-fro movement of human breathing, we have a kay to human development. Study it well with this assistance and you will discern a forward and backward movement, a pendulum-like swing, here too. Everything in the Universe is subject to a pendulum-like movement. It shuttles to and from with a coming-to-be and a ceasing-to-be effect. #RandolphHarris 20 of 20

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Admittedly, We Now Live in a Different World!
The horse weighs one thousand pounds and I weigh ninety-five. I guess I had better get him to cooperate. Nevertheless, we cannot overlook the fact that, just as consciousness arises from the unconscious, the ego-center, too, crystallizes out of a dark depth in which it was somehow contained in potential. Just as a human mother can only produce a human child, whose deepest nature lay hidden during its potential existence within her, so we are practically compelled to believe that the unconscious cannot be an entirely chaotic accumulation of instincts and images. There must be something to hold it together and give expression to the whole. Its center cannot possibly be the ego, since the ego was born out of it into consciousness and turns its back on the unconscious, seeking to shut it out as much as possible. Or can it be that the unconscious loses its center with the birth of the ego? In that case we would expect the ego to be far superior to the unconscious in influence and importance. Or can it be that the unconscious loses it center with the birth of the ego? #RandolphHarris 1 of 16
In that case we would expect the ego to be far superior to the unconscious in influence and importance. The unconscious would then follow meekly in the footsteps of the conscious, and that would be just what we wish. Unfortunately, the facts show the exact opposite: consciousness succumbs all too easily to unconscious influences, and these are often truer and wiser than our conscious thinking. Also, it frequently happens that unconscious motives overrule our conscious decisions, especially in matters of vital importance. Indeed, the fate of the individual is largely dependent on unconscious factors. Careful investigation shows how very much our conscious decisions depend on the undisturbed functioning memory. However, memory often suffers from the disturbing inference of unconscious contents. Moreover, it functions as a rule automatically. Ordinarily it uses the bridges of association, but often in such an extraordinary way that another thorough investigation of the whole process of memory-reproduction is needed in order to find out how certain memories managed to reach consciousness at all. And sometimes these bridges cannot be found. In such cases it is impossible to dismiss the hypothesis of the spontaneous activity of the unconscious. #RandolphHarris 2 of 16
Another example is intuition, which is chiefly dependent on unconscious processes of a very complex nature. Because of this peculiarity, I have defined intuition as “perception via the unconscious.” Normally the unconscious collaborates with the conscious without friction or disturbance, so that one is not even aware of its existence. However, when an individual or a social group deviates too far from their instinctual foundations, they then experience the full impact of unconscious forces. The collaboration of the unconscious is intelligent and purposive, and even when it acts in opposition to consciousness its expression is still compensatory in an intelligent way, as if it were trying to restore the lost balance. There are dreams and visions of such an impressive character that some people refuse to admit that they could have originated in an unconscious psyche. They prefer to assume that which phenomena derive from a sort of “superconsciousness.” Such people make a distinction between a quasi-physiological or instinctive unconscious and a psychic sphere or layer “above” consciousness, which they style the “superconscious.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 16
As a matter of fact, this psyche, which in Indian philosophy is called the “higher” consciousness, corresponds to what we in the New World called the “unconscious.” Certain dreams, visions, and mystical experiences do, however, suggest the existence of a consciousness in the unconscious. However, if we assume a consciousness in the unconscious, we are at once faced with the difficulty that no consciousness can exist without a subject, that is, an ego to which the contents are related. Consciousness needs a center, an ego to which something is conscious. We know of no other kind of consciousness, nor can we imagine a consciousness without an ego. When there is no one to say: “I am conscious,” there can be no consciousness. Much like there could be no World without God. “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening, an there was morning—the first day,” reports Genesis 1.1-5. #RandolphHarris 4 of 16
It is unprofitable to speculate about things we cannot know. I therefore refrain from making assertions that go beyond the bounds of science. It was never possible for me to discover in the unconscious anything like a personality comparable with the ego. However, although a “second ego” cannot be discovered (except in the rare cases of dual personality), the manifestations of the unconscious do at least show traces of personalities. A simple example is the dream, where a number of real or imaginary people represent the dream-thoughts. In nearly all the important types of dissociation, the manifestations of the unconscious assume a strikingly personal form. Careful examination of the behaviour and mental content of these personifications, however, reveals their fragmentary character. They seem to represent complexes that have split off from a greater whole, and are the very reverse of a personal center of the unconscious. I have always been greatly impressed by the character of dissociated fragments as personalities. RandolphHarris 5 of 16
Hence I have often asked myself whether we are not justified in assuming that, if such fragments have personality, the whole from which they were broken off must have personality to an even higher degree. #Since it does not depend on whether the fragments are large or small, the inference seemed logical. Why, then, should not the whole have personality too? Personality need not imply consciousness. It can just as easily be dormant or dreaming. The general aspect of unconscious manifestations of the unconscious assume a strikingly personal form. Careful examination of the behaviour and mental content of these personifications, however, reveals their fragmentary character. They seem to represent complexes that have split off from a greater whole, and are the very reverse of a personal center of the unconscious. I have always been greatly impressed by the character of dissociated fragments as personalities. Hence I have often asked myself whether we are not justified in assuming that, if such fragments have personality, the whole from which they were broken off must have personality to an even higher degree. The inference seemed logical, since it does not depend on whether the fragments are large or small. #RandolphHarris 6 of 16
Why, then, should not the whole have personality too? Personality need not imply consciousness. It can just as easily be dormant or dreaming. The general aspect of unconscious manifestations is in the main chaotic and irrational, despite certain symptoms of intelligence and purposiveness. The unconscious produces dreams, visions, fantasies, emotions, grotesque ideas, and so forth. This is exactly what we would expect a dreaming personality to do. It seems to be a personality that was never awake and was never conscious of the life it had lived and of its own continuity. The only question is whether the hypothesis of a dormant and hidden personality is possible or not. It may be that all of the personality to be found possible or not. It may be that all of the personality to be found in the unconscious is contained in the fragmentary personifications mentioned before. Since this is very possible, all my conjecture would be in vain—unless there were evidence of much less fragmentary and more complete personalities, even though they are hidden. I am convinced that such evidence exists. Unfortunately, the material to prove this belongs to the subtleties of psychological analysis #RandolphHarris 7 of 16
It is therefore not exactly easy to give the reader a simple and convincing idea of it. There are ideas which beco.me obsolete and are allowed to die. However, three ideas are so fundamental that they will always reappear. They are built into the Universe and therefore into humans themselves. These three cosmic forces—Attraction, Repulsion, and Rest—constitute the triune manifestation of the World-Idea. You will find them in every department of existence. There is a movement in the Universe which during one phase seems constructive, but in a later phase seems destructive. However, both are really part of its order, its divine order, for the two phases belong to each other, complement each other, and are necessary to each other. There are two poles of this universal movement: the one, a going-out, affirming, and the other a coming-back and denying. All nature is bisected by this two-way process. The life of the Universe moves through a series of evolutionary oscillations between rest and activity. It is the increasing of one movement which runs parallel with the decrease of the other movement. #RandolphHarris 8 of 16
One is constructive even while the other is destructive. The rhythmic life alternates and reacts. It brings alternation of the alternations and reactions against the reactions. Just as humans and animals pass through their cycles of infancy, youth, maturity, and senility, so does the planet itself which is their abode. The cycle of existence is never-ending. Whoever understands this truth and his own relationship to it will become humble. Existence is an endless affair but it has periods of rest and withdrawal, changes of form and body, of consciousness and selfhood. We are developments brought forth from it and taken back into it. The Universe plays its little part on the surface of unknowable and ineffable Mind and is gone—only to reappear at some immensely far-off time. Worlds come into being, are maintained for a long or short while, change, and dissolve. As we can readily see by observation and experience, this is not less the situation for the creatures—including human creatures—who inhabit these Worlds. Yet most people are too unprepared, too weak and too shallow, to be willing to take these truths. Infinite Mind releases from within itself an infinite variety of suns, stars, planets, substances, plants, and creatures. #RandolphHarris 9 of 16
Even the process itself is an infinite one, countered only by necessary dissolutions and destructions, pauses and rests. Even Universes get old and die off. All that is released into manifestation is subject to this perpetual law of movement and change, growth and decay, death, reappearance, and recurrence. The Universe comes into being, maintains its varied operations, or passes into dissolution by inherent necessity. The entire Universe will dissolve and vanish into the unseen Power whence it came. However, there are many other Universes and galaxies to replace our own. Dawn follows night in the vast cosmos with rhythmical recurrence. Therefore the self-actualized say that there is neither beginning nor end to the Universe but the perennial flow of eternity. The Final is likewise the First. We must understand clearly that creation and dissolution, evolution and involution continue t recur perpetually. It is not a question of long periods of time coming to a final close. This rhythm of the Universe is incessant. According to the Chinese wisdom, when either of the two aspects has developed to its utmost limit, then it begins to transform itself into the polar opposite of its own accord. #RandolphHarris 10 of 16
Our own proverb “The night is darkest just before dawn” is also apt in the transformation of polar opposites. In the sky we see the same phenomenon. The moment when the waxing moon has reached its fullest is immediately followed by the moment when the process of waning begins. The higher position of the mourning sun is no sooner attained in the overhead sky at noon the great orb begins its downward descent. At new mon the waning process comes to an end and the reverse process occurs. The same turning point is reached at winter and summer solstices. The interrelation of these phenomena with the larger phenomenon of the universal creation and dissolution may be seen. At the extreme point of either process there is a turning. Every moment in Nature ultimately reverses itself, but the point of reversal is not reached until it has gone to the extreme. With the reversal it begins to develop opposite qualities. This is an old and well-known idea in China, not only among the people but also among the philosophers. Lao Tzu for instance, says, “To go father and father means to revert back again.” #RandolphHarris 11 of 16
In this shuttle-and-loom, two-way alternating rhythm of the Universe, when the forces attain the midpoint of their arc, they start working in reverse, going down instead of evolving up, decaying and destroying instead of nurturing and vitalizing, yielding pain instead of pleasure. Every condition in human, every effect in Nature is forever seeking to attain its own fullness. Yet the moment that is attained and a pause ensures, it reverses its direction and begins to seek union with its opposite. Thus it balances itself in the end. Evolution is never a straight line. It could not be, in a two-way Universe. At the crisis-point on each way a shock becomes necessary to force a turnabout. This is the same point referred to by ancient Greek thinkers, where everything destroys itself in the end by its own excesses. Heraclitus meant the same when he too taught that all things tend to turn into their opposites. The movement in one direction sooner or later provokes a countermovement in the opposite direction. This reaction leads to a resistance at some point or points; it may also lead to friction and then to fighting. Each phase of this to-and-fro movement covers long periods. #RandolphHarris 12 of 16
When the impetus in one direction exhausts itself, the opposing impetus awakens from tranquility and it active. Today we are not so far removed in time from a social World in which such a constantly generous response was the presumed ideal. I recall from my childhood that my father, as he drove along in his car, always raised his hand to the driver of an oncoming vehicle, and he or she nearly always reciprocated. (Just recently while driving in rural Georgia, a man acknowledged me in this way. I was mildly shocked.) Of course there were not that many oncoming vehicles then. My father also never passed anyone on sidewalk without acknowledging him or her, unless he was in a crowd; and he would always tip his hat to a woman (who, as such, was assumed to be a lady). These, it might be thought, are small things, and if you tried to acknowledge all the drivers you meet today, you would probably wreck your Ultimate Driving Machine. If you spoke to people on the sidewalk that you were unfamiliar with, they would probably think you were crazy or dangerous. No doubt the profound moral insight of our times would also point out the “hypocrisy” involved in such responses. #RandolphHarris 13 of 16
Admittedly, we now live in a different World. However, is it a better World for that? Could the epidemic of addictions and dysfunctions from which the masses duffer possibly be related to that fact that we are constantly in the presence of people who are withdrawn from us, who do not want to acknowledge we are there and frankly would feel more at ease if we were not—people who in many cases explicitly reject us and feel it only right to do so? Is it not the desperate need for approval that drives people so relentlessly today—causing them to go foolish and self-destructive lengths to be “attractive” or at least to get attention—nothing but the echo of a lost World of constant mutual welcome and blessing in family, neighbourhood, school, and work? “Being attractive” and getting attention is the absolute bottom of barrel of being “with others” –the fifteen minutes of fame (for which Andy Warhol is famous) that is now down to fifteen seconds or less. I do not mean to suggest that anyone can overcome our desperate social situation by an individual act of will. Far from it. Whatever might be done, that is not it. This is the World we now have. #RandolphHarris 14 of 16
To do anything of substance about it will require a grace and wisdom that is at no individual’s disposal, and a long-range plan of personal and social development is required. No doubt God has one in mind. However, to make a start where we are, we must recognize that this our World is not normal, but is only usual at present. We must try to see it for what it is and then begin to think of specific ways grace and truth can begin to change it. And above all, we who follow Jesus must understand that a couple of hours per week of carefully calibrated distance in a church setting will be of little help, and may only enforce the patterns of withdrawal that permeate our fallen World. What could we do in our fellowships that would really help make a difference? “The manner of administering the wine—Behold, they took the cup, and said: O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen,” reports Moroni 5.1-2. #RandolphHarris 15 of 16
Dear Lord in Heaven, Who have the secrets of planting, Who has the secrets of growth, who has the secrets of harvest, it is a harvest that we pray to you, it is today that we pray to you, your holy day, the celebration of Christ. We thank you, God, for your protection, for watching over our field against all danger, whether animals who might have eaten our crops whether humans who might have encroached in our land, whether spirits who might have wished us ill: against all these, Long-Arm, you have defended us and ours. And so to you, guider and protector, teacher and champion, we pray on this day, which is rightly called yours. We thankfully acknowledge that Thou art the Lord our God and God of our fathers, the God of all the lives, our Creator and Creator of the Universe. We offer blessings and thanksgiving to Thy great and holy names because Thou hast kept us in life and sustained us; s mayest Thou continue to keep us in life and sustain us. O gather our exiles into the courts of Thy holy sanctuary to observe Thy statues, to do Thy will, and to serve Thee with a perfect heart. We give thanks unto Thee. Blessed be God to whom we are ever grateful. #RandolphHarris 16 of 16
Cresleigh Homes
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Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant—Behold Him Born the King of Angels!

Fear of losing is what makes competitors so great. Show me a gracious loser and I will show you a perennial loser. As Christmas day is upon us, each and everyone of us should open our hearts to receive once again a witness that Christ was born as the Saviour of the World, that He lives, and that because of Him, we will live again. Despite of al the distractions, Christmas is what we make of it, and at the center of our celebration is Christ. Because we keep the spirit of Christ, we will feel with spirit of Christmas. Christ came to Earth so we would have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is Christ’s example, which if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others. Because Christ came, there is meaning to our mortal existence. Because Christ same, we know how to reach out to those in trouble or in distress, wherever they may be. Because Christ came, death hast lost its sting, the grave its victory. We will live again because Christ came. Because Christ came and paid for our sins, we have the opportunity to gain eternal life. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23
Because Christ came, we are gathered here to worship Him and thank God for our lives and salvation. May of Christ’s precious Spirit, we will have a great and wonderful Christmas as we remember the gifts God has given us, and as best we can, we will offer these gifts to others. The spirit of Christmas is something I hope that every young person will have in their heart and in their lives, not only at this particular season but throughout the year. We are all naturally more comfortable when we are reaching out to others like us—likes winning likes—the rich winning the rich, lawyers lawyer, basketball players basketball plays, clerks clerks. However, that is not the ideal set by Jesus and the Early Church. Rather, we are to have a heart so filled with love, so willing to go the extra mile, that we reach out to anybody we come in contact with, regardless of any barriers. How are we to go about this? We must first understand that it is never to be done in patronizing “do-gooder” manner, but rather with a relational egalitarianism informed by God’s Word, understanding that we reach across barriers as sinners, equal to equal. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23
The opportunities are virtually limitless: lonely foreign students who long for contact with someone who genuinely cares; marginalized people desperately seeking to find justice as fairness in the mainstream culture; single people alone and in need of sanctuary and protection; the ever-present people at the bottom of the salary scale. It is not natural to cross barriers. It takes the supernatural heart of Christ, a heart which can only come through conscious prayer and discipline. Every believer is called to have a heart that reaches out. Will you pray for this heart for yourself? Will you discipline your heart to reach out? Jesus longs for your heart to beat with His. “The steps of a good human are ordered by the Lord,” reports Psalm 37.23. The ministering heart, like Jesus’ heart, senses that some beings are eternally glorious or lost souls, and treats all accordingly. The heart God uses is disciplined in perspective, seeing all its human relationships as sovereignly ordered encounters with eternal beings. To this heart, all life’s relationships are shrouded with the numinous-pulsating with spiritual potential—part of an eternal drama in which Christ has a special part to play. #RandolphHarris 3 of 23
The heart which is disciplined to labour, to reach out, and to see life’s relationship full of divine potential is, above all, a dangerously enlarged heart. Its high ideals and expanded sympathies makes it susceptible to a list of sorrows unknown to a small heart, but it is also open to a catalogue of joys the shriveled heart will never know. Cultivate a small heart and life may be smooth sailing, but you will never experience the exhilaration of the wind of the Spirit in your sails. Humans, the choice is ours. May we discipline ourselves for ministry. The word discipline means to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness,” report 1 Timothy 4.7. The rich etymology of “discipline” suggests a conscious divestment f all encumbrances, and then a determined investment of all one’s energies. Just as ancient athletes discarded everything and competed gumnos (naked), so must the disciplined Christian human divest oneself of every association, habit, and tendency which impedes godliness. Then, with this lean spiritual nakedness accomplished, one must invest all one’s energy and sweat in the pursuit of godliness. #RandolphHarris 4 of 23
The lithe, sculpted figure of the classic Greek runner gives the idea. Stripped naked, he has put his perspiration into thousands of miles for the purpose of running well. Even so, the successful Christian life is always, without exception, a stripped-down, disciplined, sweaty affair. The understanding that vigorous spiritual discipline is essential to godliness accords with the universal understand that discipline is necessary to accomplish anything in this life. The legendary success of Tom Brady NFL football quarterback of the New England Patriots has won three league MVP awards, six Super Bowls, and four Super Bowl MVP Award, and is a 14-time Pro Bowler. Brady has also twice led the NFL in passing yards. These accomplishments are a testimony to his remarkably disciplined life. Anne Rice’s massive literary discipline has transformed the way people think of popular culture and has attracted more youth to reading novels. Michangelo’s, da Vinci’s, and Tintoretto’s billion sketches, quantitative discipline of their work, prepared the way to the enduring cosmic quality of the works. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23
Sarah Winchester’s beautiful mansion, which was under constant construction for 38 years, and which is currently undergoing some restoration projects shows how one woman’s determination and discipline make her into a historical icon because her mansion is an architectural wonder. Winston Churchill, speaker of the century, was anything but a natural—unless by “natural” we mean a naturally disciplined man who overcame his remarkable impediments through much hard work and extra effort. Ignace Jan Paderewski the brilliant pianist, said it all when he remarked to an over ardent admirer, “Madam, before I was a genius, I was a drudge.” It is an immutable fact that we will never get anywhere in life without discipline—especially in spiritual matters. There are some who have innate athletic or musical advantages. However, none of us can claim an innate spiritual advantage. Some of us are inherently righteous, some of us naturally seek God, and some are reflexively good. To stay that way and help influence others, it takes discipline. Punishment calls for retributive suffering. However, discipline is training that corrects, molds, or perfects. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23
We have come to recognize that certain behaviours are love destroying acts and therefore cannot be tolerated. These include things such as sassing, teasing, and name-calling. “Behold, mine is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 132.8. Order is an eternal principle—an important characteristic of the kingdom of God. We are instructed to follow the pattern and set our own houses in order. “And now a commandment I give unto you—if you will be delivered you shall set in order your own house,” Doctrine and Covenants 93.43. This grand spiritual axiom has provided the basis for our examination of sixteen disciplines which are essential to a godly life—the disciplines of: Purity, Marriage, Fatherhood, Friendship, Mind, Devotion, Prayer, Worship, Integrity, Tongue, Work, Church, Leadership, Giving, Witness, and Ministry. It is an intimidating list, to say the least! And it is made even more daunting—in that each of the disciplines has been presented to an intentionally prescriptive “do this” manner. In fact, each of the sixteen headings contain an average of seven recommended disciplines—which amounts to over 100 “do’s!” #RandolphHarris 7 of 23
How then are we to respond? Certainly not with the “do nothing” passivity which has become increasingly characteristic of the American human. For many humans, a challenge is an opportunity to duck—to pull up the covers and stay in bed—“There is so much to do…I do not know where to begin…” –the paralysis of analysis. On the other hand, an equally deadly response is self-sufficient legalism. Admittedly, it is less a statistical danger than passivity. Nevertheless, there are many whose mind-sets could easily appropriate the sixteen disciplines and their multiplied “do’s” as a Draconian structure for a harsh legalistic hybrid. Oh, what possibilities we have for a list! “So you missed some days of reading the Bible this week? Shame! Remember, five pages a day puts the Bible away.” –“If Harry is the husband he says he is he would have gotten the door.” God saves us from the reductionism of such legalism which enshrines spirituality as a series of wooden laws and then says, “If you can do these six, sixteen or sixty-six things, you will be godly.” Christianity, godliness, is far more than a checklist. Being “in Christ” is a relationship, and like all relationships it deserves disciplined maintenance, but never legalistic reductionism. #RandolphHarris 8 of 23
God save us also from self-righteous judgmentalism. How easily our sinful hearts can imagine our lists to elevate us, while at the same time providing us with a merciless rack of which to stretch others in judgment. As we said when we began, there is a Universe of difference between the motivations behind legalism and discipline. Legalism says, “I will do this to gain merit with God,” while discipline says, “I will do this because I love God and want to please Him.” Legalism is human-centered; discipline is God-centered. Paul the arch anti-legalist said, “Discipline [train] yourself to be godly”! An orderly home depends upon well-defined and well-understood rules. One way the Lord maintains order in His kingdom is to bless those who obey certain laws. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in Heaven before the foundations of this World, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 130.20-21. An orderly home also operates on this important principle. Family rules must be established and observed before the blessing of family harmony can be attained. #RandolphHarris 9 of 23
True discipline, other than determination, is not emotionally charged. Punishment, on the other hand, is frequently accompanied by a tide of uncontrolled emotion. There is no value in screaming at a child for misbehaviour. When parents engage in a shouting match with their children, the emotional temperature in the home rises and parents become guilty of the very thing the scriptures caution against: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, least they be discouraged,” reports Colossians 3.21. The structure of the Universe is built on two principles which, although opposite in tendency, work together to produce Nature’s harmonious order. The Universe is a conflict of opposites controlled by Eternal Justice. All things in Nature show this polarity of opposed characters. All forces and movements in Nature show it in their striving to adjust, balance, reconcile or unite their contradictory activities and conflicting rhythms. There is hardly any situation which does not have its composition of good and bad, at the same time. A favoured life is faulted at some point, an ill-favoured one compensated for in some way. The inexperience of youth is balanced by its vitality, the accumulated experience of maturity is countered by its infirmities. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23
Opposite tendencies co-operate to produce an equilibrium in Nature. The notion that anything outside of God can exist or have meaning by itself is a false one. The Universe is what it is only because it depends on an equilibrium of opposing forces or of pairs of things united in opposition. The objective of Balance is held not only before a human but also before the Universe itself. The movements and forces within it are set for attraction and repulsion, opposition and contrast, so that as they balance themselves its own equilibrium is maintained. The cosmos has its own integral balance, or it could not remain a cosmos. And it must keep this balance all the time and in all places. Abrupt changes in history and brusque changes in ideas came in our time partly because they were due by Eternal Justice, or even overdue, and partly because of pressure from the World-Idea. All this means that the so-called good and the so-called bad interplay again to find a temporary equilibrium. Nature keeps her equilibrium by bringing in counter forces, or complementary ones, to correct or balance any condition where too much has gone too far. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23
When the pairs of opposites, the contradictory forces, are brought into a reciprocal unity, equilibrium is established and harmony prevails. The opposites and the different meet here, are held in equilibrium, balance and supplement one another. It includes opposites, reconciles contradictories, unites differences. In this World, everything exists with an opposite. These opposites are contrasts, but also complements and in this sense dependent upon one another. The art of life, so far as these opposites affect us, is to establish a proper equilibrium between them. It is the equilibrium in which the pared opposites and the tension between them come to rest. Experience teaches human beings that life is governed by duality, that like Nature itself, it holds contrast and oppositions within itself. Just as day and night are positive and negative poles, so are joy and sorrow. However, just as there is a point where day meets night, a point which we call the twilight, so in our experience, human experience, the joys and sorrows have a neutral point—and in Nature, an equilibrium. So the mind must find its own equilibrium, and thus it will find its own sense of peace. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23
To see that duality governs everything is to see why human life is one tremendous paradox. One accepts the tension that exists between the indivisible and interdependent opposites which compose life but puts it into one’s own inner harmony and tranquility. Opposites are generated by the Heavenly and Earthly energies. They complement each other; although independent, the effect is to work together. The one is positive and the other is passive. Finally, they test and complete each other. The philosophic ideal is to balance the two harmoniously. The polarity of Earthly Justice goes through all existence and therefore all experience. Neither can be destroyed, but what can be done is to bring them together, to reconcile them on a higher place. Here as in all the other dimensions of our life, the progression of redemption in our relations to others depends upon what we do as well as what God does for us and in us. And in order to do our part in the process of spiritual formation of social relations we must deeply identify and understand what is wrong in our relations with others (whether that wrong is coming from us or toward us) and how it can be changed. Thus we have spoken of assault and withdrawal. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23
Assault comes first in the development of a child, and it arises primarily from the conflicts of desire. The child wants something that another has. It does what it can to take that thing away from the other. However, the other resists, and the children involved become angry with each other. They therefore try to harm each other. This is the story of Cain, or the Republicans and Democrats. Or perhaps they experience envy and are displeased with one another because of that. Perhaps there is a status that one enjoys and the other does not. Feelings of resentment and contempt may arise and play back, back, forth and forth between them. As we grow older, theft, lying, murder, adultery, and settled attitudes of covetousness fall into place. These are all forms of assault on others. Central to them all is the will to make another suffer and suffer loss. The last six of the Ten Commandments therefore deal with assault, with the primary ways in which we are likely to injure, by aggressive action, those in social relation with us. With the exception of the sixth commandment, they are all explicitly negative—“Thou shalt not…” #RandolphHarris 14 of 23
The six commandment, “Honour your father and mother,” deals with a relation so intimate in its nature that the command with reference to it must be positive, for to omit the positive here would amount to an injury to both parties involved. That also is why this “the first commandment with a promise,” as Paul said (Ephesians 6.2). Violation of it disrupts the human soul and makes dysfunctional people as nothing else does. Now we can see immediately that spiritual formation in Christ will mean becoming persons who would not, and therefore do not, assault those whom they stand in relation, those whom they are with. Of course the overall teaching of the Bible about assault is much more profonde and subtle than just these six commandments, which can be regarded as the rock bottom essentials for right relations to others. However, there are many ways of assaulting people and these merge into our other category of wrong in relationships, that of withdrawal. Here we see again, for example, the power of the tongue. A verbal assault (which can be done in very refined as well as brutal ways—we speak of a “cutting remark”) is specifically designed to hurt its object and to inflict loss of standing or respect in their own eyes and before others. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23
You will find many people who never in their lifetime recover from particular verbal assault, or a pattern thereof, or from other nonverbal forms of harassment or degrading treatment they have received. Most often this happens to people while very young or otherwise weak and unprotected. However, withdrawal within a relationship, like assault, also wounds those involved. And the tongue, as is well known, can assault by withdrawal, by not speaking. So, to reemphasize an essential point, we do not want to draw too sharp a line between assault and withdrawal, for withdrawal is often by intention a form of assault or attack. Some forms of it are not, however, and may instead be motivated by weakness, fear, uncertainty, or even aesthetic considerations (“pretty,” “ugly,” and so on), rather than any direct will to harm. Often our own weakness and limitations make us withdraw without intending injury or even recognizing its possibility. Yet injure it does. To those without full consciousness of God’s enfolding love and power, no combination of good motives and explanation can prevent or heal the wounds of withdrawal. Without God, we can at most become hardened against them and “carry on.” #RandolphHarris 16 of 23
So far from assault and withdrawal, the social area of our life is meant by God to be a play of constant mutual blessing. Pain and dysfunction result from the lack of this. Of course there are degrees of “withness” or involvement that human beings have with one another, and these make a difference in the precise character of the “mutual blessing” appropriate in the given case. However, every contact with a human being should be one of goodwill and respect, with a readiness to acknowledge, make way for, or assist the other in suitable ways. Important to remember is the solemn truth: Obedience to God’s law will bring liberty and eternal life, whereas disobedience will bring captivity and death. In has been said by one, years ago, that history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. Our lives will depend upon the decisions which we make—for decisions determine destiny. Decisions have their eternal consequences; for example, the decision made by the people at the time the prophet Noah, when they laughed and they mocked and they jeered as this prophet of God erected a vessel called an ark. However, when the rain began to come and when the rain failed to cease, they ceased from their laughing and their jeering. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23
The people who mocked Noah has made a decision contrary to the instructions of God’s prophet, and they paid for that decision with their very lives. Each youth, indeed all of us, have the responsibility to make vitally important decisions. Our decisions may not be to invade the coast of Normandy, and they certainly will not be to ride with the Mongol hoards towards the gates of Riverlake; and we will not be called upon to make quite the same decision as did the people at the time of Noah. However, there are certain decisions that you young people make. They are all important. However, we should be our faith in the Heavenly Father, that each one should have the responsibility to find out for oneself whether or not this gospel of Jesus Christ is true. As we read the Bible and the Book of Mormon and the other standard works, as we put the teachings to the test, then we will know to the doctrine, for this is our promise; we will know whether it be of human or whether it be of God. Our quest can have far-reaching consequences. The World-Idea is not like a human architect’s planning. It is a mighty creative idea, pressing forward into activity, or retreating inward to repose, according to cyclic need. #RandolphHarris 18 of 23
The World-Idea contains the twin forces of evolution and involution—the two go together—but although they are simultaneously present in the whole, they act separately and at different times on each individual cell, entity, creature, or substance. Their presence and activity can be seen both in Nature and in human life. This history of universal events, the ceaseless developments and evolutions as well as the retrogressions, cataclysms, and destructions, the energies and substances, express the World-Idea. It is inherent in all things, latent in all laws of Nature. We must hold that the will of God is the cause of things; and that God acts by the will, and not, as some have supposed, by a necessity of His nature. This can be shown in three ways: First, from the order itself of active causes. Since both the intellect and nature act for an end, the natural agent must have the end and the necessary means predetermined for it by some higher intellect; as the end and definite movement is predetermined for the arrow by the archer. Hence the intellectual and voluntary agent must precede the agent that acts by nature. Hence, since God is first in the order of agents, He must act by intellect and will. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23
This is shown, secondly, from the character of a natural agent, of which the property is to produce one and the same effect; for nature operates in one and the same way unless it be prevented. This is because the nature of the act is according to the nature of the agent; and hence as long as it has that nature, its acts will be in accordrance with that nature; for every natural agent has a determinate being. Since, then, the Divine Being is undetermined, and contains in Himself the full perfection of being, it cannot be that He acts b a necessity of His nature, unless He were to cause something undetermined and indefinite in being: and that this is impossible has been already shown. God does not, therefore, act by a necessity of His nature, but determined effects proceed from His own infinite perfection according to the determination of God’s will and intellect. Thirdly, it is shown by the relation of effects to their cause. For effects proceed from the agent that causes them, in so far as they pre-exist in the agent; since every agent produces its like. Now effects pre-exist in their cause after the mode of the cause. Wherefore since the Divine Being is His own intellect, effect pre-exist in Him after the mode of intellect, and therefore proceed from God after the same mode. #RandolphHarris 20 of 23
Consequently, they proceed from God after the mode of will, for His inclination to put in act what His intellect has conceived appertains to the will. Therefore the will of God is the cause of things. As God communicates His goodness, it is not merely to certain things, but to all; and as election implies a certain distinction. Because the essence of God is His intellect and will, from the fact of His acting by His essence, it follows that God acts after the mode of the intellect and will. God is the object of the will. The words, therefore, “Because God is good, God is great, we exist,” are true inasmuch as His goodness and greatness are the reason of His willing all other things. Even in us the cause of one and the same effect is knowledge as directing it, whereby the form of the work is conceived, and will as commanding it, since the form as it is in the intellect only is not determined to exist or not to exist in the effect, except by the will. Hence, the speculative intellect has nothing to say to operation. However, the power is cause, as executing the effect, since it denotes the immediate principle of operation. However, in God all these things are one. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23
Adequate preparation enhances the ability to think and decide, which is why school is so important. However, we find many people who are willing to alibi or who make excuse for failure. I urge you not to take counsel of your fears. I hope you will not say, “I am not smart enough t study chemical engineering; hence, I will study something less strenuous.” “I cannot apply myself sufficiently well to study this difficult subject or in this comprehensive field; hence, I will choose the easier way.” I plead with you to choose the hard way and tax your talents. Our Heavenly Father will make you equal to your tasks. If ne should stumble, is one should take a course and get less than the “A: grade desired, I hope such a one will not let it become a discouraging thing to one. I hope that one will rise and try again. Remember, you are a superstar. If we strive for it, all can have the guidance and direction of our Heavenly Father. “The manner of their elders and priests administering the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church; and they administered it according to the commandments of Christ; wherefore we know the manner to be true; and the elder or priest did minister it—and they did kneel down with the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23
“What they said during their prayer was, ‘O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the same of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen,’” reports Moroni 4.1-3. Dear Lord in Heaven, please do not withhold you lightning spears, God whose own is true, shower the Earth with an abundance of rain and snow so we will have a wonderful spring and summer, and a bountiful harvest. God, please here the words of the one who loves you. And God, being full of compassion forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not. Yea, often He turneth His anger away and doth not stir up all His indignation. Thou, O Lord, wilt not withhold Thy mercies from me; Thy loving kindness and Thy truth will continually preserve me. Please, remember, O Lord, Thy mercies and Thy loving kindness for they have been from old. Ascribe power unto God. His majesty is over America, and His strength is in the Heavens. #RandolphHarris 23 of 23
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Clearly She Saw, as Other Eyes Would Know Pale Limbs at Bottom of a Crystal Well!

Today our Problem is not making miracles—but managing them. I am going to build the kind of nation the President Roosevelt hoped for, President Trump is working to create (one of great financial prosperity, where one can still look forward to the American Dream), and President Kennedy died for. Research has indicated that eighty-four percent of Americans agree that a major cause of disrespect in our society is the fact that too many parents are failing to teach respect to their kids. Seventy-five percent of Americans want parents to teach their kids that cursing is always wrong. Only 19 percent of Americans never curse. These last two points highlight a major contradiction in American attitudes toward children’s rude behaviour. As adults, we are all part of the problem—and the potential solution. Whether you are a parent or not, it does not matter. Children learn by mimicking adult behaviour. Let me repeat that: Children learn by mimicking adult behaviour. The key to teaching our children to respect really grows out of self-respect. We need to teach by example and to show our children that we have respect for the, both as our children and as our eternal brothers and sisters. “The Lord God hath given a commandment that all humans should have charity, which charity is love,” reports 2 Nephi 26.30. #RandolphHarris 1 of 24
Today we live in times of conflict, differences of opinion, disagreements. There is a need for us, perhaps more than ever before, to allow respect, charity, and forgiveness to influence our actions. Children learn for our behaviour, so if you swear in front of your kids they will think it means, “A grown adult swearing—that must mean that when I get really mad, it is okay to swear.” When children hear adults threatening other people they will think, “A grown adults threatening revenge—that must mean that it is okay to do violence to another person as long as I can justify it.” These horrible and incorrect philosophies will become imprinted in their memories. Therefore you can see, as children are observers, you do not have to have a kid of your own to have an impact on them. When it comes to teaching kids to be more respectful and less rude, there is no magical spell I know of to resolve this matter. It is a process that involves all of us and that will take time. We all need to recognize that how we act will be reflected in the behaviour and attitudes of tomorrow’s adults. We must understand respect, reasons we sometimes act disrespectfully, and find principles in the gospel to help us be better teachers. #RandolphHarris 2 of 24

If every adult starts making a conscious decision to model considerate, respectful behaviour in one’s daily life, kids will start reflecting that behaviour. The sooner we do this, the sooner our children’s good behaviour will be reinforced. There are at least two definition of respect. The first refers to being polite or civil to those we meet or with whom we interact. This would include being respectful of a teacher. We hope grandchildren will treat grandparents respectfully during visits. We usually treat strangers with polite respect. Another meaning, however, refers to our feelings toward those who merit respect through honourable living. We admire their commitment or standards. For example, we might respect a supermodel who gave up winning a modeling competition on a yacht to save a man who fell overboard. On the other hand, we do not respect one who embezzles or another who treats the elderly, disabled, or children harshly in the supermarket. Yet if we were to interact with these people, we would likely treat them with respectful or polite manners, regardless of our feelings about their transgressions. #RandolphHarris 3 of 24

Ultimately, even if we do not honour or admire their acts, we can treat people respectfully. As parents and leaders, we are to honour both definitions. We want children not only to treat us with respect—using good manners—but also to honour our standards, which we seek to exemplify through Christlike living. Be extra careful around children. You are already influencing children every time you are around them by the way you act, speak, and carry yourself. Being the male parent is not simply a matter of taking a larger role in chores around the house in order to take pressure off your mate so one can focus on raising the children. Being a male, dominant male, parent, or dominant parent also mean being a part of the child care—and not just in the first few weeks. It means being an equal partner in the care of your children for the next few decades of their lives, and then some. Sharing the load sometimes involves serious sacrifice. For instance, on any given Sunday afternoon, just as Tom Brady throws a Hail Mary pass to put the game into overtime, the phone rings. My daughter is one the line: “Can you pick me up now?” My wife is making dinner, so I have to make sure she gets home safely. #RandolphHarris 4 of 24
While the gospel teaches us to be respectful toward others without qualification, sometimes we may find ourselves falling into rationalization about being disrespectful based on their behavior. A person who causes a problem is often seen as warranting disrespectful treatment. In other words, if others would have behaved differently, we would not have to behave badly. Going bad on a person is a kind of thinking that shifts responsibility for our behaviour to others. It makes us think that our disrespectful acts are someone else’s fault. Children pick this up quickly. When they are impolite, they often justify their disrespect with the excuse that other humans or living being or inanimate objects do not deserve good treatment. Also, keep in mind, dads cannot always be fun. Discipline is part of parenting, and for it to work, both partners have to participate. The mom, or non-dominant parent cannot always be the judge and jury. If you are always the parent who consoles the children and play good officer, the non-dominant will resent you for making them the enforcer. Be willing to be a parent who enforce the law, and support your spouse in their choices when one has to enforce the law. #RandolphHarris 5 of 24

Respect is an expression of our sense of universal humanity—a testimony of our membership in the human family. It acknowledges our common humanity and shows our reverence for children of God. The gospel teaches us that we are to hold the same esteem for others that we hold for ourselves. “And again I say unto you, let every human esteem others humans as oneself,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 38.25. I have heard more primary school holiday concerts than I care to remember. Each one was important to Leo and Annie, and it was so important that both of their parents were there to share in their performance. Whether your child is the star or a member of the chorus, you make time to attend, you applaud thunderously, and you congratulate your child as though it was one’s opening night on Broadways. Acting disrespectfully suggest we do not esteem the other person as ourselves. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that humans should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets,” reports Matthew 7.12. Take the time to listen to your children. They have wonderful thoughts and an ever-fresh perspective, and talking with them will bring those thoughts out. #RandolphHarris 6 of 24
When I was a young parent, I could always tell the kids whose parents listened to them. If I was driving them home after a visit, they were the kids who would talk your ear off, even though you were a relatively unfamiliar adult. Those conversations were always a joy, especially compared to driving a kid home whose vocabulary consisted of grunted, monosyllabic responses to my questions. Time passes quickly. Before you know it, those little toddlers will be off living on their own. So make the effort to share in the raising of your kids. In the process of raising them, you will build a stronger relationship with your spouse and give your kids the best possible opportunity to grow up happy and successful. Prejudice is a result of disrespect for our fellow humans. We cannot participate in attitudes of prejudice without distancing ourselves from others. True respect, then, comes as we develop our ability to love our brothers and sisters as ourselves. Gossip, another everyday form of disrespect, is incompatible with love. What we say about people in their absence should be what we would say to them with love while they are in our presence. #RandolphHarris 7 of 24
As adults, we admit that we are modeling bad behaviour, but we want and expect different behaviour from our kids. Learning does not work that way. When my older daughter was in grade school, I discovered this. She had a teacher whom I firmly believed was the perfect example of what is wrong with the guaranteed job policies in private education—and one day I voiced my displeasure about her in from of my daughter. I remember it so clearly. A short while later, during a discussion about a problem my daughter was having with a teacher, I heard my daughter spout my back at me. And then she said, “I pray you get to hear my craft.” The lightbulb immediately went off in my head: How could I possibly expect her to follow my admonition to “respect her teacher” when I was teaching her to disrespect that same person? Kids do not understand, “Do as I say, not as I do.” They do understand “Do as I do.” Feeling empathy for others is a symptom of respectful behaviour, while feeling unsympathetic is a symptom of disrespectful acts. A good friend of mine coaches his son’s lacrosse team. When I learned this, I could not help but think: Here is a formula for disaster. However, it happens every day and dads can do it successfully. #RandolphHarris 8 of 24
Be impartial. The key is to look at your child as a team member and not as your son, your daughter, your competition, a pay check, or your enemy. You have taken on the job so you have sone very difficult task. When it is your child sitting on the bench, this can be tough. At the start of the season, talk with your child. Explain that you love him or her but you also have to be the coach for the team and that means no favouritism. It is important not only for both your sakes but for the effect your impartiality will have on the other players and their parents as well. Yelling, berating and/or sarcasm do not work as motivator, especially for children. Children want to learn; they want to improve. And when their teacher, parent, or coach instructs them in a beneficial, constructive way, the child preforms best. Respect is also synonymous with care about. Sometimes we excuse our disrespect, even for people we care about, by holding against them their lack of caring or concern for us. To feel compassion, one has to give up one’s attitude of resentment and disrespect. Protect yourself, defend yourself by transforming yourself and no longer use anyone’s bad behaviour to justify your own poor behaviour. #RandolphHarris 9 of 24

We are so proud of our kids. We want them to do well. We want their team to be the best. And sometimes we get caried away: We see a call on the sport’s field that seems unfair, and we scream at the ref. We see the coach call our son or daughter out of the game, and we scream at the coach. We see a teammate make an unwise play, and we scream at the teammate. We see our own son or daughter miss a play they have made hundreds of times in the backyard, and we scream at him or her. All this screaming does not work. The referee is not going to change one’s call; the coach is not about to suddenly see things your way and send your kid back in; the teammate is not going to magically turn into an all-star candidate. And your son or daughter is now likely to be more focused on your incessant, embarrassing screaming than on one’s own play. Youth leagues now have spectator standards, and they are serious about enforcing them. They will even require parents to watch a video and sign a statement promising that they will adhere to the league’s standards of spectator behaviour. #RandolphHarris 10 of 24
They are serious: one infraction and the offending parent is placed on probation. A second infraction and they are banded from attending future events. “And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every human according to that which is one’s due,” reports Mosiah 4.13. To promote greater respect within families and youth groups, we must teach correct principles and share good examples. Chatter. Whispering. Complaining to each other. Parents do it all the time with other parents on their kids’ youth teams. Frankly, it drives the coaches and the league organizers crazy. The parents band together and then approach the coach. “Strength in numbers,” they think t themselves. If you believe this is a good idea, I have a bridge in Oakland I would like to talk to you about. You are a parent, you are in the stands, and you should be supportive not only of your kids, but of the coaches and the program as well. If others start jabbering, try to stop them or at least refuse to be part of their grousing. Respect is an expression of Christlike living. It is closely linked to all other qualities we are counseled to cultivate. #RandolphHarris 11 of 24
We must cultivate patience, long-suffering, humanly kindness, and love unfeigned. It is a feature of selfless service and humble repentance. When healing or dissolving hostilities, it is essential. Respect for others shows reverence for God and his creations. Through showing respect, we truly feel more a part of the human family and recognize and honour our common divine parentage. Teach your children to respect their neighbours. Teach your children to respect their bishops and the teachers that come to their homes to teach them. Teach your children to respect their elders. Teach your children when they go to school, they should honour their teachers in that in which is true and honest, in that which is manly and womanly, and worthwhile. Teach your children to honour the law of God and the law of the state and the law of our country. Teach them to respect and hold in honour those who are chosen by the people to stand at their head and execute justice and administer the law. Teach them to be loyal to their country, loyal to righteousness and uprightness and honour, and thereby they will grow up to be men and women of choice above all the men and women of the World. #RandolphHarris 12 of 24

How do we know when we are being treated respectfully or disrespectfully? Do we sometime rationalize our treatment of others because of their behaviour? How can we avoid this? Why does developing love for others lead to respectful treatment of them? Are you aware of someone who is being treated disrespectfully? How might you show respect to that person? The greatest danger to our prospects for spiritual transformation at this point is that we will fail to take all this talk about respect and our body being the temple of God literally. It may help us to consider ordinary situations of temptation. Temptation is a matter of being inclined to do what is wrong. However, where do those inclinations primarily reside? The answer is, they primarily exist in the parts of our body. Those inclinations are actually present in those parts and can even be felt there by those who are attentive to their body and who are informed, thoughtful, and willing to admit what they find upon careful reflection. Others, too, can recognize the tendencies present in our bodily parts—hands, feet, shoulder, eyebrows, loins, tongue, overall posture—and they can play upon those tendencies, to trap us, ensnare us, use us, destroy us. #RandolphHarris 13 of 24
Those who purposefully prey upon others constantly play upon tendencies they can use to destroy others. They become experts at it. These various tendencies actually present in our bodily parts can move our body into action independently of our overall intentions to the contrary—often quite genuine—and of our conscious thoughts. Thus we act or speak “before we think.” The part of our character that lives in our body carries us away. The tongue, for example. James said that “the tongue is a small part [member, mela] of the body,” reports James 3.5. However, “the tongue is a fire, the cosmos of iniquity. The tongue is set among our members s something which defiles the entire body, setting fire to the natural course of things and itself on fire by hell,” reports James 3.6. James had no doubt observed the incredible power of the tongue to stir up the inclinations of the whole body and of all its parts—our own body as well as that of others. Have you observed this? It is perhaps the last bodily part to submit to goodness and rightness. No one can tame it, James said, and indeed that is right. Physical violence usually always introduced by verbal violence. #RandolphHarris 14 of 24

It is only as we habitually subject the tongue to the grace of God as instrument reserved for him, to do His will, that grace comes literally to inhabit and govern it. And when that happens the effects spread throughout all the body. “If anyone does not stumble in word,” James said, “that is a perfect human, able even to guide one’s entire body aright,” reports James 3.2. “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver,” reports Proverbs 10.20, and “A healing tongue is a tree of life,” reports Proverbs 15.4. Other members of the body, though not as central to life as the tongue, have their own readiness to act wrongly, with the associated feeling states—“Haughty eyes,” the wise man said, “a lying tongue, hands to shed innocent blood, and feet that run quickly to the devil,” reports Proverbs 6.17-18. If they have not already been permeated by the real presence of Christ, the shoulders, the stomach and the private parts, the fists and the face are constantly moving us away from God. A person caught up in rage or lust or resentment—or religious self-righteousness, for that matter—is basically one whose body has taken over and, at least for the moment, is totally running one’s actions or even life. #RandolphHarris 15 of 24

Sometimes we say, “I just lost my temper.” “Temper” refers to the capacity to handle all kinds of situations and maintain one’s balance. It is in fact close to character, as when we say of someone that they are “acting out of character” or “are out of pocket” or “are not themselves” today. However, what does one lose one’s temper or character to? Things will be happening around us, of course, and they may get blamed, as a baby spanks the floor where it falls on it. However, what we lose or temper or our “control” to, what begins to govern our action at that point, is precisely our body and the inclinations to wrong that, as Paul and James both knew, actually inhabit its parts as living forces. You can verify this by carefully observing the bodily behaviour of the next person you see in a rage. God does not need us. He is perfectly capable of carrying out His plans without our leadership. However, wonder of wonders, joy of joys, He has chosen to use us. We must take our call to leadership seriously. We must glory in the work, but never in ourselves. Nonetheless, one thing is for sure: leadership must have a dream, a vision, a mental image, a precise goal of what is to be accomplished. #RandolphHarris 16 of 24
Vision is the currency of leadership. A vision or dream must grab the leader, and when it does, it will pull others long. The challenge of leadership is so great today because modern humans are dreamless. Next, a leader must not only have a dream, one must be able to communicate it. This is true with artists, educators, military leaders, fast-food franchisers. A great leader communicates with clarity, whether by speech, metaphor, diagram, or model. Good leaders then delegate and orchestrate. They surround themselves with competent people. They build consensus. And they elevate the people with whom they work. Good leaders lead by demonstration. They pull people along with them instead of pushing them. General Eisenhower used to demonstrate the art of leadership in a simple but forceful way. He would place a single piece of sting on a table and say, “Pull it and it follows wherever you want it to go; push it and it goes nowhere. Good leaders are determined. Nothing in the World can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful humans with a great talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. #RandolphHarris 17 of 24
Education will not; the World is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination along are omnipotent. Humans, if we wish to be good leaders we must recognize and embrace this conventional wisdom: vision, communication, delegation, and organization, demonstration, and determination. We laud and commend all this, but we must practice it as well. However, there is far more beyond this in our call to spiritual leadership. If we are embraced as disciplines of spiritual leadership, our collective energy will provide the animus for wisely living out conventional leadership wisdom. Put another way, the transcending wisdom of spiritual leadership will energize and elevate other types of wisdom we have received—thus producing dynamic leadership. Mature leadership is rare in the Church. Are you part of the problem or the answer? Be honest with yourself and God. Humans, if we sincerely want to improve our leadership capacities there are some things we must word for: The commitment to and practice of intercessory prayer. The pursuit of a great and growing vision of God. A growing worship of and devotion to God. #RandolphHarris 18 of 24

We must also have a big-hearted magnanimity that thrills at the elevation of others. A Faith that transcends the doubts of others. A liberating understanding and embracing of one’s expendability. Rise up, people of God! The Church for you does wait, her strength unequal to her task; rise up, and make her great! In what ways does God want you to take a greater stand of faith? “And it came to pass that Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families, went down into the valley which was northward, (and the name of the valley was Nimrod, being called after the mighty hunter) with their flocks which they had gathered together, male and female, of every kind. And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not. And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go for the into the wilderness, yes, int that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.” #RandolphHarris 19 of 24

“And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord. And the Lord would not suffer that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God has preserved for a righteous people. And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath small come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore one that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. #RandolphHarris 20 of 24
“And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the thing which we have written. And now I proceed with my record; for behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth even to the lands. And as they came to the sea they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years. And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. #RandolphHarris 21 of 24
“And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will give thee and they brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands. And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water. And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish. #RandolphHarris 22 of 24
“And I came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou directed me. And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish for in the we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive the air. And if it be so that the water come upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hold, that ye may no perish in the flood. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded. And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? #RandolphHarris 23 of 24

“For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in piece; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?” reports Ether 2.1-25. As the Sun retreats you enter the sky. Create the night, Great Father. Produce for your children a dark sky. Create our dreams that will fill our sleep. God standeth in the holy assembly, He pronounceth judgment: How long will ye judge unjustly, and favour the persons of the wicked? Do justice to the poor and fatherless; deal righteously with the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked! #RandolphHarris 24 of 24

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Then Living Earth, with Labouring Thought Won from the Gaze of Many Centuries!
Many great things indeed have been achieved by those who choose not to leap into the mainstream. Although the World is very full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. I do not see myself as a preacher on television at all….I see myself as a doctor in an emergency ward, and those people who are flipping their dials are in pain and dying….I heal through offering what American needs on TV—a philosophy of self-esteem that will make us great once more. The more I see her, the more convinced I am that she is an isolated person. This a man ought never to be, not even a young man, because, since his development depends essentially upon reflection, he must have contact with others. Therefore, a young woman should not be interesting either, for the interesting always involves a reflecting on oneself, just as for the same reason the interesting in art always includes an impression of the artist. A young woman who wants to be pleased by being interesting will, if anything, please herself. From the esthetic side, this is the objection to all kinds of coquetry. It is quite different with what is inappropriately called coquetry, which is nature’s own gesture—for example, feminine modesty, which is always the most beautiful coquetry. #RandolphHarris 1 of 26
An interesting young lady may very well be successful in pleasing, but just as she herself has surrendered her womanliness, so also the men whom she pleases are usually just as unmasculine. Such a young lady first becomes interesting in her relation with men. The woman is usually the more delicate of the two genders, and yet it is much more important for her to stand alone in her youth than for the man; she must be sufficient unto herself, but that by which and in which she is sufficient unto herself is an illusion; it is this dowry with which nature has endowed her like a king’s daughter. However, it is precisely this resting in illusion that isolates her. I have often pondered why it is that there is nothing more corrupting for a young lady than associating a great deal with other young women. Obviously the reason is that this association is neither one thing nor another; it unsettles the illusion but does not clarify it. The woman’s fundamental qualification is to be company for the man, but through association with her own gender she is lead to reflection upon it, which makes her a society lady instead of company. The language itself is very suggestive in this respect; the man is called “master,” but the woman is not called “maidservant” or anything like that—no, a definition of essence is used: she is company, not companymaid. #RandolphHarris 2 of 26

If I were to imagine an ideal young lady, she would always stand alone in the World and thereby be assigned to herself, but mainly she would not have friends among the young ladies. It is certainly true that the Graces were three, but it certainly never occurred to anyone to think of them as talking together; in their silent trinity they form a beautiful feminine unity. In this respect, I could almost be tempted to recommend the virgins’ bower (any of several usually small-flowered and climbing clematises, which is a leather flower within the buttercup family) again, if this constraint were not in turn damaging in its effects. It is always best that a young lady be allowed her freedom, but that the opportunity not be provided. She thereby becomes beautiful and is rescued from becoming interest. To give a virgin’s veil or a bridal veil to a young lady who spends much time in the company of other young women is futile, but one who has sufficient esthetic sensitivity will always find that an innocent young lady in the deeper and best sense of the word is brought to him veiled, even if it is not the custom to use a bridal veil. #RandolphHarris 3 of 26
She has been brought up strictly; I honour her parents in their homes for that; she leads a very reserved life, and in thanks I could hug her aunt for that. She has not become acquainted with Worldly delights, has not become jaded through indulgence. She is proud; she spurns what delights other you ladies, and this is as it should be. It is a falseness that I shall know how to turn my advantage. Frills and finery do not appeal to her as they do to other young women; she is somewhat polemic, but this is necessary for a young lady with her romanticism. She loves in a World of fantasy. If she fell into the wrong hands, it might bring out something very unwomanly in her precisely because there is so much womanliness in her. You may believe in miracles—like those the scripture tell about—but do you believe the Lord can work miracles in your own life? If you do your part, God can and will. A miracle is an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. miracles are an important element in the work of Jesus Christ. They include healings, restoring the dead to life, and resurrection. Faith is necessary in order for miracles to be manifested. Do you have some challenges in your life that seem overwhelming at times Would a miracle help you? How can a miracle come about? #RandolphHarris 4 of 26
The passion of surprise and wonder, arising from miracles, being an agreeable emotion, gives a sensible tendency towards the belief of those events, from which it is derived. And this goes so far, that even those who cannot enjoy this pleasure immediately, nor can believe those miraculous events, of which they are informed, yet love to partake of the satisfaction at second-hand or by rebound, and place a pride and delight in exciting the admiration of others. “For if there be no faith among the children of humans God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, one showed not oneself until after their faith,” reports Ether 12.12. We must have faith to have miracles, specifically faith in Jesus Christ. “And ither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God,” reports Ether 12.18. Trust in God is vital, as is confidence that He will do what He says He will do. For example, we pay tithing with faith. He says that He will open the windows of Heaven, and we have confidence that He will. “And all nation shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of host,” reports Malac 3.11. This is our natural way of thinking. #RandolphHarris 5 of 26
Faith implies enough confidence to act on your belief and to conform your life to truth. The pleasure of telling a piece of news so interesting, of propagating it, and of being the first reporters of it, spreads the intelligence. Prodigies, omens, oracles, judgments, quite obscure the few natural events, that are intermingled with them. Having faith means doing our best to bring about a miracle, but it also requires having the patience to realize the Lord understands His eternal timetable better than we do. There is a memorable story related by Cardinal de Retz, which may well deserve our consideration. When that intriguing politician fled into Spain, to avoid the persecution of his enemies, he passed through Saragossa, the capitol of Arragon, where he was shown, in the cathedral, a man, who has served seven years as a door-keeper, and was well known to every body in town, that had ever paid his devotions at that church. He has been seen, for so long a time, wanting a leg; but recovered that limb by rubbing of holy oil upon the stump; and the cardinal assures us that he saw him with two legs. The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings. #RandolphHarris 6 of 26

This miracle was vouched by all the canons of the church; and the whole company in town were appealed to for a confirmation of the fact; whom the cardinal found, by their zealous devotion, to be thorough believers of the miracle. And the cardinal cannot be suspected of any holy fraud. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and then to ask my Father in Heaven to sanctify that application to the healing of my body. Of course we do not wait until all other methods are exhausted before we pray in faith or give priesthood blessings for healing. In emergencies, prayers and blessings come first. Most often we pursue all efforts simultaneously. This follows the scriptural teachings that we should “pray always” and that all things should be done in wisdom and order. This is one way we seek the way to transports ourselves into some new World. #RandolphHarris 7 of 26
You have yourself heard many supernatural and marvellos relations. “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for you good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one another,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 90.24. Human’s inclination to the marvellous has full opportunity to display itself. And thus a story, which is universally exploded in the place where it was first started, shall pass for a certain at a hundred thousand miles distance, maybe even light years. It is reported that January 1600, there was total darkness over the whole Earth for eight days. It was also reported by historians who treat of England, that on the first of January 1600, Queen Elizabeth died; both before and after her death she was seen by her physicians and the whole court, as is usual with persons of her rank; that her successor was acknowledged and proclaimed by the parliament; and that, after being interred a month, she again appeared, resumed the throne, and governed England for three years: I must confess that I should be surprised at the concurrence of so many odd circumstances, but should not have the least inclination to believe so miraculous an event. #RandolphHarris 8 of 26

I believe that all of us can bear witness to these miracles. With Moroni of old, I believe in a God of miracles. Moroni wrote to the people of our dispensation, “Behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, and it is that same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, and all things that are in them are,” reports Mormon 9.11. Moroni proclaimed that Jesus Christ did many mighty miracles, that many mighty miracles were wrought by the hands of the Apostles and that a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever must be a God of miracles today. “And if there were miracles wrought then, why has Gd ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God and is a God of miracles,” report Mormon 9.19. The World-Idea provides secret invisible patterns for all things that have come into existence. These are not necessarily the forms that our limited perceptions present to us but the forms that are ultimate in God’s Will. #RandolphHarris 9 of 26

The deeper thinkers among our astronomers see no beginning and no end to the Universe; it is t them a process and not a static thing. To this view a philosopher would echo assent, but in accordance with the World-Idea. Just as the wave of life prepares, enters, and leaves our human bodies, so does it prepare, enter, and leave each of the numerous Universes. The World-Idea permeates all existence, patterns all forms, and expresses itself in all evolution. When the revelation of the World-Idea came to religious mystics they could only call it “God’s Will.” When it came to the Greeks, they called it “Necessity.” The Indians called it “Karma.” When its echoes were heard by scientific thinkers, they called it “the laws of Nature.” What we call here the World-Mind’s master image is not quite different from, although not quite the same as, what Plato called the eternal idea and what Malebranche called the archetype of the Universe. Mahat, the divine ideation of the Egyptian teachings, may possibly be correlated with the World-Idea, but I have not examined the doctrine. Nor do I know whether Plato’s divine archetypes meet exactly the same definition. However, I do know that all three constitute the World as seen by the Universal Mind. #RandolphHarris 10 of 26
Plato’s doctrine of a timeless World of archetypal ideas which are copied imperfectly in the physical one may be compared with the doctrine of the World-Idea stated elsewhere in this teaching. Jung’s archetypes, as far as I know his thought, apply to the unconscious of the human being. If you wish to call them by this name, the archetypes of the World-Idea apply universally and are not concerned with the human species alone. The Stoics pointed to Reason (Logos) as the divine spirit which orders the cosmos. Plato pointed to Mind (Nous) in the same reference. There is a universal order, a way which Nature (God) has of arranging things. This is why what we see around us as the World expressed all-pervading meaning, intelligence, and purpose. However, we catch only a mere hint of these veiled qualities—they mystery which recedes from them is immeasurably greater. The intelligence displayed by Nature is an infinite one. This fact, once recognized, forces us to concede that there is a deeper meaning and a wiser purpose in life than our puny intellects can adequately fathom. The World-Idea is secret, its activity is silent, but its effects are everywhere visible and audible to us. #RandolphHarris 11 of 26
Immanuel Kant referred to “the hidden plan of Nature.” Thus, without benefit of any mystical revelation but with that of acutely concentrated deep thinking to guide him, he sensed the presence of the World-Idea. It is safe to assert that nearly all the activities of the cosmos are beyond ordinary human sense observations. Without the assistance of special apparatus or thinking power we are unaware of them. Just as important as these might miracles are the smaller private miracles that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord. These come as we recognize and heed the prompting of the Spirit in our lives. When we are trying to serve Him and do His will, the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives. I believe that all of us can bear witness to these mighty and modest miracles. We know children who have prayed for their parents to get a new job and buy a home, and they have. We have seen children who pray for toys for Christmas and get them. We have seen adults who pray for a special phone call and it comes in. The World-Idea contains the pattern, intention, direction, and purpose of the cosmos in a single unified thought of the World-Mind. #RandolphHarris 12 of 26
Human understanding is too cramped and too finite to comprehend how this miraculous simultaneity is possible. The World-Idea is the whole idea that no human mind can grasp in its time-long entirety and its spiralled cyclers. In some way that the limited mind of human cannot understand by its ordinary processes, the Universe exists in the World-Idea out of passing time and in an unbroken Now. The World-Idea manifests itself by degree but the Idea itself is a perfect whole. The World-Idea not only includes everything existent but also everything which is yet to exist. We may think of the World-Idea as a kind of computer which has been fed with all possible information and therefore contains all possible potentialities. Just as its progenitor the World-Mind is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing, it is also possible to think of the World-Idea as being this all-knowing, omniscient aspect of the World-Mind. What is most extraordinary about the cosmos is that although it is a coherent Whole, yet it is one that is greater than, and different from, the sum of is parts. The World-Idea forever realizing itself in the actual, a process which is ceaseless and infinite, without known beginning or known end. #RandolphHarris 13 of 26

Life is in the highest degree properly in God. In proof of which it must be considered that since a thing is said to live in so far as it operates of itself and not as moved by another, the more perfectly this power is found in anything, the more perfect is the life of that thing. In things that move and are moved, a threefold order is found. In the first place, the end moves the agent: and the principal agent is that which acts through it form, and sometimes it does so through some instrument that acts by virtue not of its own form, but of the principal agent, and does no more than execute the action. Accordingly there are things that move themselves, not in respect of any form or end naturally inherent in them, but only in respect of the executing of the movement; the form by which they act, and the end of action being alike determined for them by their nature. Of this kind are plants, which move themselves according to their inherent nature, with regard only to executing the movements of growth and decay. The World-Idea is works itself out in time, which is the form wherein the thoughts appear, and in history, which is the record of time. In the larger workings of the World-Idea we may see the rise and fall of entire culture, civilizations, religions, and even whole continental areas with their inhabitants and races. #RandolphHarris 14 of 26

The World-Mind’s World-Idea unfold with absolute regularity and perfect sequence. The World-Idea is slowly expanding itself on Earth, incarnating itself. My hope is that this rather lengthy discussion of the place of the body in our life and of how the apostle Paul understood its transformation will make very clear why spiritual formation requires the transformation of the body. The proper retaining and nurturing of the body is absolutely essential to Christlikeness. The body is not just a physical thing. As it matures, it increasingly takes on the quality of “inner” life. That is, the body increasingly becomes a major part of the hidden source from which our life immediately flows. The outcome of spiritual formation is, indeed, the transformation of the inner reality of the self in such a way that the deeds and words of Jesus become a natural expression of who we are. However, it is the nature of the human being that the inner reality of the self settles into our body, from which that inner reality then operates in practice. Formed in sin, our character and its body is set against God and God’s ways, and as we look about us, we find it pretty much on its own—at least for a while. #RandolphHarris 15 of 26
When our heart (will, spirit) comes to new life in God, the old “programs” are still running contrary to our new heart, and for the most part they are running in our body and its parts or members. “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! However, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out,” report Romans 7.12-18. “For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit of death,” reports Romans 7.5. Because my identity before God has been shifted over to another life that is also now in me as God’s gift, my soul has been cleansed. #RandolphHarris 16 of 26
While the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, I may find myself doing the things I have. However, it really is no longer I who is doing it, but the sin still functioning as a living force in the members of my body. Nonetheless, this is only a transitional state for those who can say with David, “My soul follows hard after you,” reports Psalm 63.8. The law or force of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus is now also a real presence in my body and it opens the way to liberation from the force of sin in my bodily parts. “Therefore, humans, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeed of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of God. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory,” reports Romans 8.12-17. #RandolphHarris 17 of 26
My soul follows after God. The law or force of the Spirit life that is in Christ Jesus is now also a real presence in my body and it opens the way to liberation from the force of sin in my bodily parts. “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin,” reports Romans 7.25. By not walking in terms of the flesh but in terms of the Spirit, we are increasingly able to do the things that Jesus did and taught. “And so he condemned sin in sinful humans, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature,” reports Romans 8.4. We move toward the place where both the spirit is willing and the flesh is strong for God because the Spirit has now occupied it. We have presented the members of our body “as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification,” reports Romans 6.19. To deny the reality of miracles on the ground that the results and manifestations must be fictitious simply because we cannot comprehend the means by which they have happened is arrogant on the face of it. #RandolphHarris 18 of 26
Genuine miracle is the miracle worked though the power of faith, without specifically invoking the power of the priesthood. Most of us are acquainted with miracles that have occurred in our personal lives and the lives of those we love, such as miracles involving births and deaths and miraculous healings. All of these are fulfillments of the Lord’s modern promise to “show miracles, signs, and wonders, until all those who believe on my name,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 35.8. “And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ. Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the Earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is no God? Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? #RandolphHarris 19 of 26
“Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. O then ye unbelieving, turn od who ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and clean, having been purified by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; behold I say uno you, one that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, one has not read the scriptures; if so, one does not understand them. For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles. #RnadolphHarris 20 of 26
“However, behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, and all things that in them are. Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all humans are redeemed because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all humans will be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed of death, which death is a temporal death. And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still. #RandolphHarris 21 of 26

“And one that is righteous still; one that is happy shall be happy still; one that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? Who shall say that it was a miracle that by his word the Heaven and the Earth shall be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the Earth and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. #RandolphHarris 22 of 26
“And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever one shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the Earth. For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who shall tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: God ye into all the World, and preach the gospel to every creature; and one that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but one that believe not shall be damned; and these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; and whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, until one will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the Earth. And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? #RandolphHarris 23 of 26
“Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who can deny God’s sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish. O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things so ever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and being as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him. Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out. #RandolphHarris 24 of 26
“Behold, I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words. Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our own imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have no imperfection in our record. However, the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore one hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof. And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our brethren, who have dwindled in unbelief. #RandolphHarris 25 of 26
“And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land. And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen, reports Mormon 9.1-37. Queen of Night, your silver wheels roll silently through the darkness from sunset to sunrise on this night when you are full. I look on you in awe, and praise you. I look to you in love, and honor you. God in her palaces hath made Himself known as a tower of strength. For lo, the kinds assembled themselves, they came onward together. They saw, straightway they were amazed; they were affrighted, they hasted away. Trembling seized them there, shaking, as a woman in travail, as the east wind that breaks the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God—God establish forever. We have meditated on Thy lovingkindness, O God, in midst of Thy Temple. #RandolphHarris 26 of 26
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Your backyard should be an extension of you. Create a tranquil space to meditate, or maybe use it as extra room for your pup to run around. No matter what your backyard goals are, they’re sure to come true when you live #CresleighHomes.
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Only when truth already exists in the mind of the teacher can one convey it in one’s teaching. If it does not, then one is merely indulging in a piece of pantomime. It has been my feeling that we are not as innocent as we said, or as guilty as they said. For an agreement to be valid, the parties must be able to honour it under all relevant and foreseeable circumstances. There must be a rational assurance that one can carry through. The two principles of justice are the Principle of Equal Liberty and Difference Principle. The Principle of Equal Liberty states that each person has an equal right to the most extensive liberties of all. Difference Principle states that social and economic inequalities should be arranged so that they are both (a) to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged persons, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of equality of opportunity. The arguments adduced fit under the heuristic schema suggested by the reasons for following the maximin rule. The maximin rule states that we should compare alternatives by the worst possible outcomes under each alternative, and we should choose one which maximize the utility of the worst outcome. That is, they help to show that the two principles are an adequate minimum conception of justice in a situation of great uncertainty. #RandolphHarris 1 of 22

Any further advantages that might be won by the principle of utility, or whatever, are highly problematical, whereas the hardship if things turn out badly are intolerable. It is at this point that the concept of a contract has a definite role: it suggests the condition of publicity and sets limits upon what can be agreed to. Thus justice as fairness uses the concept of contract to a greater extent than the discussion so far might suggest. The first confirming ground for the two principles can be explained in terms of what I earlier referred to as the strains of commitment. I said that the parties have a capacity for justice in the sense that they can be assured that their undertaking is not in vain. Assuming that they have taken everything into account, including the general facts of moral psychology, they can rely on one another to adhere to the principles adopted. Thus they consider the strains of commitment. They cannot enter int agreements that may have consequences they cannot accept. They will still avoid those that they can adhere to only with great difficulty. Since the original agreement is final and made in perpetuity, there is no second chance. In view of the serious nature of the possible consequences, the question of the burden of commitment is especially acute. #RandolphHarris 2 of 22

A person is choosing once and for all the standards which are to govern one’s life prospects. Moreover, when we enter an agreement we must be able to honour it even should the worst possibilities prove to be the case. Otherwise we have not acted in good faith. The Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing—in general, every contract contains an implied duty of good faith and fair dealing. This duty requires that neither party will do anything that will destroy or injure the right of the other part to receive the benefits of the contract. The doctrine of utmost good faith is a principle used in contract, legally obliging all parties to act honestly and not mislead or withhold critical information from one another. Violations of the doctrine of good faith can result in contracts being voided and sometimes even legal action. Thus the parties must weigh with care whether they will be able to stick by their commitment in all circumstances. Of course, in answering this question they have only a general knowledge of the human psychology to go on. However, this information is enough to tell which conception of justice involves the greater stress. #RandolphHarris 3 of 22
In this respect the two principles of justice have a definite advantage. Not only do the parties protect their basic rights but they insure themselves against the worst eventualities. They run no chance of having to acquiesce in a loss of freedom over the course of their life for the sake of a greater good enjoyed by other, an undertaking that in actual circumstances they might not be able to keep. Indeed, we might wonder whether such an agreement can be made in good faith at all. Compacts of this sort exceed the capacity of human nature. How can the parities possibly know, or be sufficiently sure, that they can keep such an agreement? Certainly they cannot base their confidence on a general knowledge of moral psychology. To be sure, any principle chosen in the original position may require a large sacrifice for some. The beneficiaries of clearly unjust institutions (those founded on principles which have no claim to acceptance) may find it hard to reconcile themselves to the changes that will have to be made. However, in this case they will know that they could not have maintained their position anyway. Yet should a person gamble with one’s liberties and substantive interests hoping that the application of the principle of utility might secure one a greater well-being, one may have a difficulty abiding by one’s undertaking. #RandolphHarris 4 of 22

A second consideration invokes the condition of publicity as well as that of the constraints on agreements. When the basic structure of society is publicly known to satisfy its principles for an extended period of time, those subject to these arrangements tend to develop a desire to act in accordance with these principles and to do their part in institutions which exemplify them. When the public recognition of its realization by the social system tends to bring about the corresponding sense of justice, a conception is stable. Now whether this happens depends, of course, on the laws of moral psychology and the availability of human motives. We may observe that the principle of utility seems to require a greater identification with the interests of others than the two principles of justice. Thus the later will be a more stable conception to the extent that this identification is difficult to achieve. When the two principles are satisfied, each person’s liberties are secured and there is a sense defined by the difference principle in which everyone is benefited by social cooperation. Therefore we can explain the acceptance of the social system and the principles it satisfies by the psychological law that persons tend to love, cherish, and support whatever affirms their own good. #RandolphHarris 5 of 22
Since everyone’s good is affirmed, all acquire inclinations to uphold the scheme. When the principle of utility is satisfied, however, there is no such assurance that everyone benefits. Allegiance to the social system may demand that some should forgo advantages for the sake of the greater good of the whole. Thus the scheme will not be stable unless those who must make sacrifices strongly identify with interests broader than their own. However, this is not easy to bring about. When all or some must pitch in for the common good, the sacrifices in question are not those asked in times of social emergency. The principles of justice apply to the basic structure of the social system and to the determination of life prospect. What the principle of utility asks is precisely a sacrifice of these prospects. We are to accept the greater advantages of others as a sufficient reason for lower expectations over the whole course of our life. This is surely an extreme demand. In fact, when society is conceived as a system of cooperation designed to advance the good of its members, it seems quite incredible that some citizens should be expected, on the basis of political principles, to accept lower prospects of life for the sake of others. #RandolphHarris 6 of 22
It is evident then why utilitarians should stress the role of sympathy in moral learning and the central place of benevolence among the moral virtue. Their conception of justice is threatened with instability unless sympathy and benevolence can be widely and intensely cultivated. Looking at the question from the standpoint of the original position, the parties recognize that is would be highly unwise if not irrational to choose principles which may have consequences so extreme that they cud not accept them in practice. They would reject the principle of utility and adopt the more realistic idea of designing the social order on a principle of reciprocal advantage. We need not suppose, of course, that persons never make substantial sacrifices for one another, since moved by affection and bonds of sentiment they often do. However, such actions are not demanded as a matter of justice by the basic structure of society. Furthermore, the public recognition of the two principles gives greater support to human’s self-respect and this in turn increases the effectiveness of social cooperation. Both effects are reasons for choosing these principles. It is clearly rational for humans to secure their self-respect. #RandolphHarris 7 of 22

If they are to pursue their conception of good wit zest and to delight in its fulfillment, a sense of their own worth is necessary. Self-respect is not so much a part of any rational plan of life as the sense that one’s pan is worth carrying out. Now our self-respect normally depends upon the respect of others. If not impossible, unless we feel that our endeavours are honoured by them, it is difficult for us to maintain the conviction that our ends are worth advancing. Hence for this reason, especially when the claims of others are overruled, the parties would accept the natural duty of mutual respect which asks them to treat one another civilly and to be willing to explain the grounds of their actions. Moreover, one may assume that those who respect themselves are more likely to respect each other and threatens their good as much as envy does. Self-respect is reciprocally self-supporting. Thus a desirable feature of a conception of justice is that it should publicly express human’s respect for one another. In this way they insure a sense of their own value. Now the two principles achieve this end. For when society follows these principles, everyone’s good is included in a scheme of mutual benefit and this pubic affirmation in institutions of each human’s endeavours supports human’s self-esteem. #RandolphHarris 8 of 22
The establishment of equal liberty and the operation of the difference principle are bound to have this effect. The two principles are equivalent, as I have remarked, to an undertaking to regard the distribution of natural abilities as a collective asset so that the more fortunate are to benefit only in ways that help those who have lost out. I do not say that the parties are moved by the ethical propriety of this idea. However, there are reasons for them to accept this principle. For by arranging inequalities for reciprocal advantage and by abstaining from the exploitation of the contingencies of nature and social circumstances within a framework of equal liberty, persons express their respect for one another in the very constitution of their society. In this way they insure their self-esteem as it is rational for them to do. Another way of putting this is to say that the principles of justice manifest in the basic structure of society human’s desire to treat one another as means only but as ends in themselves. The notion of treating humans as ends in themselves and never as only a means obviously needs an explanation. There is even a question whether it is possible to realize. #RandolphHarris 9 of 22

How can we always treat everyone as an end and never as a means only? Certainly we cannot say that it comes to treating everyone by the same general principles, since this interpretation makes the concept equivalent to formal justice. On the contract interpretation of treating humans as ends in themselves implies at the very least treating them in accordance with the principle to which they would consent in an original position of equality. For in this situation humans have equal representations as moral persons who regard themselves as ends and the principles they accept will be rationally designed to protect the claims of their person. The contract view as such defines a sense in which humans are treated as ends and not as means only. Whoever has attained this stage can pass on to the proper persons both a foretaste of mystical experiences which lie beyond them and an impetus to their quicker self-development. If one is only a mystic one may do so quite unconsciously, but if one is a philosopher one will give this wordless instruction quite consciously. The enlightened human who has to deal with those who are not sensitive enough to receive clearly in the silence that which is one’s best communication, meaning most people, must then give it in a more familiar and easier form—words! #RandolphHarris 10 of 22

However, here the illuminate may oneself be at a disadvantage. One may lack fluency and have a limited vocabulary—be inarticulate. If the illuminate has a wide command of good language, if one can teach in sentences that are clear, beautiful, powerful; if one is eloquent, here others will be served better. One whose course embraces a mission of spiritual service to others is invested with a greater power and enlightenment than ne has actually earned. This does not make one greater than one is. However, as the excess of inspiration gradually uses one as its channel, it becomes gradually integrated into one’s own character little by little over a period of several years. We may sit before the saintly phenomenon and enjoy the peace issuing from one. However, when we leave one, the peace leaves us, too. When working with a Master, we may have no such dramatic experience. However, one will guide our feet each step of the way; one will listen to our difficulties, problems, or questions and give us one’s wise counsel. That is the wide difference between these two types of illuminated humans. It is true that many of those who attained enlightenment gave some of their wisdom or counsel to others but did so only incidentally or occasionally and to a limited extent. #RandolphHarris 11 of 22

Ohers made it their chief and whole-time mission in life to teach others and preach truth. Those who did so had better capacities for teaching and preaching than those who did not. Moreover, they had to leave an example of conduct in their own lives worthy of being imitated—a duty which was no incumbent upon the non-teachers and was sometimes disregarded by them. There has occasionally been a human who entered into awareness of God without the help of the teacher and without the laboured struggles of most other humans. One is like a horse which has crossed the river by swimming around without touching the ground. Such a human does not usually go out of one’s way to teach the path to others nor try to help them individually, or even to announce the truth to the World. One is satisfied with one’s own place and with the knowledge that “God is in His Heaven, all is well with the World.” One is an inward-looking mystic who has a perfect right to enjoy one’s attainment. There are two types of illumined human, of those who have attained spiritual perfection. The first have sought the goal of their own sake alone and are satisfied to rest on their labours with the attainments. The second type does not accept this rest, for their very search was made with the intention to share with others. #RandolphHarris 12 of 22

The first type have been called, in the scholastic, intellectual, business and religions centers. The second type have been called preachers, teachers, and compassion consolers. In the case of the first type, the renunciation of the World is usually abrupt and sudden, though the period spent between renunciation and the attainment of Enlightenment may be long and weary. It is possible for one to become a Silent Master while yet a lay person, but, in the case, the marks of lay persons, such as the clothes one wears, immediately disappear. The spiritual attainment of a Preaching Master and those of a Silent Master are alike; but in the case of the latter, though one attains to supreme and perfect insight, yet one’s enlightenment is individual. One’s enlightenment is of benefit to oneself alone; one does not proclaim to the World the great Truths discovered by one. One cannot instruct others “effectively”; one’s realization of the Truth is “like a dream seen by a deaf-mute.” “Silent” is unsatisfactory because they do preach to those who come to them, though their preaching is restricted to admonitions regarding good, righteous, and proper conduct. They even have personal attendants whom the World may regard as disciples, but they give no instruction other than ethical instruction. #RandolphHarris 13 of 22
There are humans of enlightenment who cannot down a bridge from where they are to where they once were, so that others too can cross over. They do not know or cannot describe in detail the way which others must follow to reach the goal. Such humans are not the teaching-masters, and should not be mistaken for them. The human of enlightenment who have never been a learner, who suddenly gained one’s state by the overwhelming good spiritual blessings of God’s grace, is less able to teach others than the ones who slowly and laboriously worked one’s way into the state—who remembers the trials, pitfalls, and difficulties one had to overcome. The Master has fund one’s way to God; one daily enjoys the blessing of God’s presence; one has passed from mere existence into significant living, and one knows there is peace and love at the heart of the Universe. One wants now to help other share in the fruits of one’s discoveries. The Master, who is a dedicated teacher also, wishes ardently for others on the Path to attain the goal and share its bliss. Do we then lose ourselves? To succeed in identifying our will with God’s will is not, as is often mistakenly said, to have no will of our own. Far from it. To have no will is impossible. It would be to not even be a person. #RandolphHarris 14 of 22

Rather, it is for the first time to have a will that is fully functional, not at war with itself, and capable of directing all of the parts of the self in harmony with one another under the direction of God. Now we do not hesitate to do what is right; and to do wrong would have to work against ourselves. A person with a well-kept heart is a person who is prepared and capable of responding to the situations of life in ways that are good and right. When through spiritual transformation we have in some measure come to know the well-kept heart in real life, we experience it as a gift of grace, no matter how hard we may have had to struggle in the process of growing into it. And it is a gift in which we find, precisely, ourselves as Jesus taught: “One who has lost one’s life for My sake shall find it,” reports Matthew 10.39. For the first time we not only have a fully functional will, but we also have a clear identity in the eternal kingdom of God and can day by day translate out time into an eternity embedded in our own life and in the lives of those near us. The will of God is not foreign to our will. Our heart sings, sweet will of God, oh, hold me closer, util I am wholly lost in Thee. #RandolphHarris 15 of 22

If in the moment of choice we are always dependent upon the thoughts and feelings we have at the moment, how can we be responsible for our character? How can we purposively set about to change our own character (with God’s assistance of course)? What kind of person is God actively seeking? What is the condition of the will in a “lost” person (one who is lost in one’s Worldly ways)? How do duplicity, deception, and darkness descend upon those who would be their own God? What would it be like for you to be wholly lost in the will of God? We can gather to what things life belongs, and to what it does not, from such things as manifestly possess life. Now life manifestly belongs to animals, for that in animal’s life is manifest. We must, therefore, distinguish living from lifeless things, by comparing them to that by reason of which animals are said to live; and this it is in which life is manifested first and remains last. We say then that animals are said to live: and this it is in which life is manifested first and remains last. We say then that an animal begins to live when it begins to move of itself: and as long as such movement appears in it, so long as it is considered to be alive. When it no longer has any movement of itself, but is only moved by another power, then its life is said to fail, and the animal to be dead. #RandolphHarris 16 of 22

Whereby it is clear that those things are properly called living that move themselves by some kind of movement, whether it be movement properly so called, as the act of an imperfect being, id est, of a thing in potentiality is called movement; or movement in a more general sense, as when said the act of a perfect thing, as understanding and feeling are called movement. Accordingly all things are said to be alive that determine themselves to movement or operation of any kind: whereas those things that cannot by their nature do so, cannot be called living, unless by a similitude. These words of the Philosopher may be understood either of the first movement, namely, that of the celestial bodies, or of the movement in its general sense. In either way is movement called the life, as it were, of natural bodies, speaking by a similitude, and not attributing it to them as their property. The movement of the Heavens is in the Universe of corporeal natures as the movement of the heart, whereby life is preserved, is in animals. Similarly also every natural movement in respect to natural things has a certain similitude to the operations of life. Hence, if the whole corporeal Universe were one animal, so that its movement came from an “intrinsic moving force,” as some in fact have held, in that case movement would really be the life of all natural bodies. #RandolphHarris 17 of 22

To bodies, whether heavy or light, movement does not belong, expect in so far as they are displaces from their natural conditions, and are out of their proper place; for when they are in the place that is proper and natural to them, then they are at rest. Plants and other living things more with vital movement, in accordance with the disposition of their nature, but not by approaching thereto, or by receding from it, for in so far as they recede from such movement, so far do they recede from their natural disposition. Heavy and light bodies are moved by an extrinsic force, either generating them and giving them form, or removing obstacles from their way. They do not therefore move themselves, as do living bodies. Waters are called living that have a continuous current: for standing waters, that are not connected with a continually flowing source, are called dead, as in cisterns and ponds. This is merely a similitude, inasmuch as the movement they are seen to possess makes them look as if they were alive. Yet this is not life in them in its real sense, since this movement of theirs is not from themselves but from the cause that generates them. The same is the case with the movement of other heavy and light bodies. #RandolphHarris 18 of 22

Were a person, whom I know to be honest and opulent, and with whom I live in intimate friendship, to come into my house, where I am surrounded with my servants, I rest assured, that one would not stab me before one leaves it, in order to rob me of my silver standish; and I no more suspect this event, than the falling of the house itself which is new, and solidly built and founded. However, one may have been seized with a sudden and unknown frenzy. Do you know anyone who cannot tell the difference between desire and will, and hence does not know how to oppose one’s own desires? Because a man who at noon leaves his purse full of gold on the pavement at Charing-Cross, may as well expect that it will fly away like a feather, as that he will find it untouched an hour after. Above one half of human reasonings contain inferences of a similar nature, attended with more or less degrees of certainty, proportioned to our experience of the usual conduct of humankind in such particular situations. Does it make sense to you that spiritual disciplines could retrain the will and reform character? “And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to this word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled. #RandolphHarris 19 of 22

“And ye may know that the words of the Lord, which have been spoken by the holy prophets, shall all be fulfilled; and ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the children of Israel. And ye need not imagine in your hearts that the words which have been spoken are vain, for behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel. And when ye shall see these sayings coming forth among you, then ye need not any longer spurn at the doings of the Lord, for the word of his justice is in his right hand; and behold, at that day, if ye shall spurn at his doing he will cause that it shall soon overtake you. Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto one that shall deny the Christ and his works! Yea, wo unto one that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost! Yea, and wo unto one that shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be n miracle wrought by Jesus Christ; for one that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ. #RandolphHarris 20 of 22

“Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn. Therefore ye need not suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel,” reports 3 Nephi 29.1-9. “Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write saying: Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, an your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel,” reports 3 Nephi 30.1-2. Welcome sleep, I spread my arms in response to your ever-open ones. #RandolphHarris 21 of 22
Please take me to yourself softly, as a knitter returns a scattered skein to order, rolling it into a ball; even so, draw me in, restore me, please open the door to your World that I might enter, my Lord and Saviour. The living God O magnify and bless, transcending time and here eternally. One Being, yet unique in unity; a mystery of Oneness, measureless. Lo! form or body He has one, and humans no semblance of His holiness can frame. Before Creation’s dawn He was the same; the first to be, though never He began. He is the World’s and every creature’s Lord; His rule and majesty are manifest, and through His chosen, glorious sons exprest in prophecies that through their lips are poured. Yet never like to Moses rose a seer, permitted glimpse behind the veil divine. This faithful prince of God’s prophetic line received the Law of Truth for Israel’s ear. The Law God gave, He never will amend, nor ever by another Law replace. Our secret things are spread before His face; in all beginnings He beholds the end. The saint’s reward He measures to one’s meed; the sinner reaps the harvest of one’s ways. Messiah He will send at end of days, and all the faithful to salvation lead. God will the dead again to life restore in His abundance of almighty love. Then blessed be His name, all names above, and let His praise resound forevermore. #RandolphHarris 22 of 22

Cresleigh Homes


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When entering this expansive home, take note of the two story ceiling height at the entry. There is a bedroom on the first floor, located off the entry, with its own bathroom making it ideal for a guest suite or multigenerational living. The formal dining room provides ample space for entertaining and has convenient access to the kitchen via Butler’s Pantry. The kitchen comes fully equipped with a large eat-in island, stainless steel appliances, and quartz counters and opens onto the spacious great room.
Upstairs you’ll find the Owner’s retreat, two bedrooms, and the loft perfect for a game room or TV lounge. The Owner’s retreat is spacious and inviting with a large bedroom and spa like bathroom featuring a free-standing soaking tub, walk-in shower, dual vanities, and two walk-in closets. https://cresleigh.com/brighton-station/residence-4/
At this brand new community, you will open your eyes to new possibilities. Brighton Station is an elevated living experience that thrives from the energy and expression of the unrivaled architecture and the natural beauty of the region. #CresleighHomes









































